Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 10/25

Chiefs vs. Steelers: Game Preview from The Mothership

Of the five games in a row the Kansas City Chiefs (1-5) have lost since their lone win Week 1 against the Houston Texans, three of them have been by a touchdown or less.

It's the type of statistic that can drive one mad, but at the same time, the silver lining is that it also may instill a belief that perhaps the Chiefs are right there.

"In the National Football League, things are close," said head coach Andy Reid this week. "You see it by our scores, but things are close. And it's one play here or there that matters and that's really where we've got to focus in and get that taken care of.

"Whether it's a play call, whether it's an opportunity to make a play, if the play works that's called, then we've all got to kind of step that up and get over that hump. There's a very fine line between winning and losing in this league. And you can say it by score for us - literally, it's very, very close here."

Coming to the Game Today? Here's Some Information that You Need to Know from The Mothership

To assist with the overall flow of traffic, the traffic configuration at the Stadium Drive, Manchester Trafficway/Raytown Road intersection west of the Truman Sports Complex has been changed. Those changes include:

Stadium Drive Eastbound Traffic: Fans traveling eastbound on Stadium Drive must turn right on Raytown Road. Motorists with a parking pass will be directed to Gate 5 and those with cash will be directed to Gate 4.

Manchester Trafficway Southbound Traffic: Fans traveling southbound on Manchester Trafficway will be able to turn left onto Stadium Drive or stay straight which becomes Raytown Road. Fans who stay straight onto Raytown Road and have a prepaid parking pass will be directed to Gate 5 and those who are paying cash will be directed to Gate 4. Those that turn left onto Stadium Drive will be directed to Gate 6.

Raytown Road Northbound Traffic: Fans traveling northbound on Raytown Road must turn right onto Stadium Drive.

Chiefs vs. Steelers: How to Watch and Listen from The Mothership

TV Coverage

CBS

KCTV5 Local

Play-by-Play: Greg Gumbel

Color Analyst: Trent Green

Sideline: Stacey Dales

Chiefs Download Podcast presented by Draft Kings: Trent Green and What to Watch For

Game Day Forecast from The National Weather Service

Today Patchy fog between 7am and 8am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 64. Calm wind becoming east 5 to 7 mph in the morning.

Physicality, pressure still part of Pittsburgh Steelers' identity from The Kansas City Star

In recent games, Butler — who garnered interest from other teams before he was promoted from linebackers coach in January — has not been shy about stacking the line of scrimmage and making teams guess which players are coming.

"And really, it's over the last three games that he's increased that," Reid said. "He's got good players and he's bringing them from different areas."

The Steelers rank seventh in the league in sacks with 17, and 10 different players have recorded sacks, including a safety and seven linebackers.

That kind of pressure could spell trouble for a Chiefs team that has struggled to pick up blitzes and stunts for the better part of two years.

Conditions prime for another close game between Chiefs and Steelers from Chiefs Digest

Seven gut-wrenching combined points in the past two games separated the Chiefs from victories.

The Chiefs (1-5) hung tough, but were unable to close the deals in an 18-17 loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 5 and a 16-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 6.

"In the National Football League, things are close," coach Andy Reid said. "And you see it by our scores, but things are close. And it's one play here or there that matters and that's really where we've got to focus in and get that taken care of.

"Whether it's a play call, whether it's an opportunity to make a play, if the play works that's called, then we've all got to kind of step that up and get over that hump. There's a very fine line between winning and losing in this league. And you can say it by score for us, literally, is very, very close here."

Prediction: Chiefs will lose to Steelers from ESPN

With Jones at quarterback, the Steelers remind me of the Minnesota Vikings, who beat the Chiefs last week. Like the Vikings, the Steelers have one of the NFL's best running backs, are limited in what they can do in the passing game, and have one of the NFL's best scoring defenses.

Kansas City should be good enough against Jones to hold Pittsburgh's score down. The Chiefs were certainly that good against the Vikings, who had to settle for three field goals and one touchdown.

Those 16 points were good enough to beat the Chiefs, though, and probably will be again this week.

Chiefs-Steelers scouting report from The Kansas City Star

Bottom line: Steelers 24-20

If Jones is the starter instead of Roethlisberger, the door is open for a surprise upset. But the Chiefs have found ways to lose this season, and they'll have to show more than they have before they can get the benefit of the doubt again.

WR Kenny Cook returns to Chiefs practice squad; WR Fred Williams released from Chiefs Digest

The Chiefs signed rookie wide receiver Kenny Cook to the 10-man practice squad and terminated the contract of wide receiver Fred Williams, according to Saturday's NFL Transaction report...

...Saturday's transactions mark the third time in October a roster move on the practice squad involved Cook and Williams.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs Preview from The New York Times

On the other side, the 2015 Chiefs seem to be even more of a lost cause without running back Jamaal Charles, who is out for the year with a knee injury. The team was held to season lows in rushing yards and points in a loss to the Vikings last week.

PICK: STEELERS

Chiefs' success lies in quick passing game from The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons knows the Kansas City Chiefs have struggled to protect quarterback Alex Smith. In an effort to turn down the heat, offensive coordinator Doug Pederson fashions a game plan designed to quickly get the ball out of Smith's hand.

The Chiefs have countered with an array of screens — quick, bubble and tunnel — to generate big plays from wide receivers Jeremy Maclin and Albert Wilson and tight end Travis Kelce.

"They like the quick passes and tunnel screens," Timmons said. "It's what we've been practicing for. They can't really run the ball because their offensive line isn't that good, but the offensive line does a good job of getting upfield to make blocks on those screen plays."

Head-to-head: Chiefs CB Marcus Peters vs. Steelers WR Antonio Brown from The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

If cornerback Marcus Peters were available when the Steelers had the 22nd pick in the NFL draft, there would have been a nice debate in the war room about which player they should select.

After all, the Steelers were in the market for a cornerback to help improve the leaky back end of their defense. And Peters was on their radar.

But Peters wasn't available because the Kansas City Chiefs took him four spots earlier, with the 18th overall selection.

And it's apparent why.

Ron Cook: Haley deserves lots of credit for Steelers' success from The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It's going to be fun to see what Haley has planned for the Chiefs today with Jones. This is another meaningful game for Haley, his first trip back to Kansas City where he was the Chiefs' head coach from 2009-11 and led them to the AFC West Division title in 2010 with a 10-6 record, their first division championship in seven years. He was fired in December 2011 with the team at 5-8. It was a bitter split.

"I just want to win," Haley said, declining to discuss any animosity he might have toward the Chiefs. "That's the bottom line."

It should be noted Haley and the Chiefs won that division title with journeyman Matt Cassel at quarterback.

It turns out Haley was pretty smart back then, too.