Even though the Chiefs turned things around shortly thereafter, Christmas wasn’t very kind to them a year ago. They were stunned last Dec. 25 by the Raiders at home, losing the game in spite of the Raiders not completing a pass after the first quarter.
This time around, they’ll head to Pittsburgh for the first time since 2018. The Chiefs trail in the all-time head-to-head series 23-14, but they have beaten the Steelers three straight times.
Patrick Mahomes has never lost to the Steelers as a starter. He’s 3-0, including a 42-21 blowout win in the 2021 playoffs at Arrowhead. In those three starts, Mahomes has completed an incredible 76 of his 97 pass attempts (76.4%) for 988 yards, with 14 TDs and only one interception.
Travis Kelce missed the Boxing Day matchup against the Steelers during the 2021 regular-season but returned for the playoff rematch to catch five passes for 108 yards and a TD. Kelce also threw a touchdown pass in the rout. In his only other game against Pittsburgh with Mahomes, Kelce had a two-TD game against them in 2018.
The Chiefs added more offensive firepower in the offseason with the signing of Marquise Brown and the drafting of Xavier Worthy, although Rashee Rice’s legal issues have put some damper on the offseason.
The Steelers are not yet in the Chiefs’ league offensively, but the hope is that changes on that side of the ball this past offseason will lead to more scoring.
The team brought in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields at quarterback, and the plays now will be called by new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. While the Steelers traded one of their big weapons in wideout Diontae Johnson, they signed Van Jefferson and drafted third-rounder Roman Wilson to help bolster the position.
In his one season in Denver, Wilson split his two meetings with the Chiefs last year. They sacked him 10 times total, but Wilson threw three TD passes in the Broncos’ 24-9 win over the Chiefs in Week 8. The Chiefs also beat Fields, who threw for only 99 yards at Kansas City in a Bears 41-10 loss.
This will be the Chiefs’ fifth Christmas Day game ever, going 2-2 in the first four. The Steelers have never lost on Christmas (2-0), with their only two Dec. 25 games landing in 2016 and 2017.
Saquon Barkley scored three touchdowns on his debut for Philadelphia, leading the Eagles past the Green Bay Packers 34-29 on Frida
Saquon Barkley scored three touchdowns on his debut as the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers 34-29 in the first NFL game played in South America.Ba
SAO PAULO (AP) — The host of the NFL’s first game in Brazil, soccer club Corinthians, was not keen on the green-dom
Ron Jenkins/APThe floodgates have opened for NFL franchises after the football league approved private equity to invest.Top 10 NFL teams are worth a combined $7