The Kansas City Chiefs (14-1) visit the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5) in a Christmas Day matchup with playoff implications. Our Chiefs vs Steelers prediction is for underdog Pittsburgh to cover the 3-point spread.
Head-to-head, Pittsburgh leads with a 23-14 record.
Offshore Odds: Chiefs Are Favored by a Field Goal
| Team | Spread | Money Line | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | -3 (-102) | -156 | O 43 (-116) |
| Steelers | +3 (-118) | +136 | U 43 (-104) |
Kansas City Closes in on the Number 1 Seed
The Chiefs have a two-game lead over Buffalo in the conference standings. On paper, it might seem relatively easy for them to clinch the number one seed in the AFC and with it, a first-round bye and home-field advantage until the Super Bowl.
In NFL terms, they have a comfortable but not insurmountable lead with about three minutes to go and need two first downs to run the clock down and go to victory formation.
It’s reasonably safe…but they need those first downs.
Their final two games are in Pittsburgh and Denver. Those two teams need the victories as well. The Bills play the Jets and New England. Buffalo has an obvious scheduling and motivation advantage (or lack thereof) from upcoming opponents.
Still, Kansas City has answered every challenge in 2024. It has not been easy with injuries and opponents gunning for the two-time defending Super Bowl champions, but a 14-1 record is a response to critics.
After all the fretting over quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ ankle before Week 16 against Houston, he completed 28 of 41 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown while running for 33 on five carries. In other words, he was fine.
In the 27-19 win, they added Marquise “Hollywood” Brown to their mix of receivers for Mahomes to target. Brown had missed the entire season with a shoulder injury and caught five passes for 45 yards.
Still, the Steelers are a tough test on the road. The teams are evenly matched. Pittsburgh is adept at forcing turnovers and preventing their own with a +17 differential for the season.
Pittsburgh’s Divisional Hopes Are Damaged
The Steelers have clinched a playoff spot. They do not want to drop to the seventh seed and go on the road for the Wild Card round. Beating the Chiefs is a great start.
Pittsburgh will likely get an offensive boost with the return of George Pickens from a hamstring injury.
The past two games have been concerning. They lost by 14 to Philadelphia and by 17 to Baltimore. The Chiefs have been vulnerable to the pass, but to beat them, the Steelers must keep Mahomes off the field. Expect them to try and run the ball with Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, and some special packages with Justin Fields.
Chiefs vs Steelers Prediction: Another Close One for KC
The Chiefs are hitting their stride as the playoffs approach and are getting healthy. This will be another close game with the Steelers keeping it within three points.
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