The Steelers find themselves in the postseason with a date against the Chiefs on Sunday night after they beat the Ravens and Chargers-Raiders didn’t end up in a tie.
But at least on paper, this doesn’t seem like a good matchup for Pittsburgh. Just a few weeks ago, Kansas City beat the brakes off Pittsburgh 36-10. The score was 36-3 before Diontae Johnson‘s 15-yard touchdown reception with 2:54 left in the contest.
According to PointsBet, the Chiefs are 12.5-point favorites for the playoff matchup. For quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, that perception isn’t all that bad.
“We probably aren’t supposed to be here. We’re probably not a very good football team,” Roethlisberger said tongue-in-cheek, via Teresa Varley of the team’s website. “Out of 14 teams that are in, I think we’re probably at number 14. We’re double-digit underdogs in the playoffs. So, let’s just go play and have fun and see what happens.
“We’re probably 20-point underdogs and we’re going to the team that’s won the AFC the last two years. Arguably the best team in football. We don’t have a chance. So, let’s just go out and play and have fun.”
Pittsburgh hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season when they defeated the Chiefs 18-16 in the Divisional round. So if there’s ever a time or place to get back in the win column, it’s on Sunday.
And the more Pittsburgh wins, the longer the club will have Roethlisberger as its quarterback. The Steelers have made it to the playoffs in 12 of his 18 seasons. Roethlisberger said Wednesday that he wants to pass along words of wisdom to the younger players about what postseason football is like and how to make a championship run.
“It’s one of those things where you never really know if you’re going to get a chance to get back,” Roethlisberger said. “And when I tell them that they look at me like well, you’ve been here 12 times in 18 years. I just try and reiterate to them that you just got to appreciate it, you got to understand it. You have to go out there and just fully commit everything to it because every mistake is magnified.
“But, you got to have fun at the same time so hopefully they’ll they all understand. I think they do.”