Chiefs vs. Steelers Odds
Despite the overtime sweat, the Steelers are officially in the NFL playoffs as the AFC's No. 7 seed and set to face the 2-seeded Chiefs on Wild Card Weekend. Find our expert's projected odds below.
Chiefs vs. Steelers Schedule
Chiefs vs. Steelers Projections
Our Director of Predictive Analytics, Sean Koerner, reveals his initial projections for the spread and over/under based on his model.
These are subject to change before kickoff, though, so be sure to check out our NFL PRO Projections — i.e. real-time consensus projections based on models of six experts (including Sean).
- Spread: Chiefs -10.5
- Total: 46
Chiefs vs. Steelers Predictions
Find our expert's betting prediction for Chiefs-Steelers in the story below.
How Chiefs Reached 2022 NFL Playoffs
Avery Yang: The Chiefs had some low lows this season, and there was a period in October when it felt they might even miss the playoffs.
But, they ripped off eight straight wins from November through December to lock down their sixth straight AFC West title.
Their defense — which caused them all sorts of strife early in the season — has looked much better, but is still their Achilles heel. It’s just the 24th-best unit in the NFL. If the Chiefs falter come playoffs, it’ll be because of their struggles on defense.
Kansas City is still the second favorite to win the Super Bowl purely on account of Patrick Mahomes, who you can’t count out during the playoffs — especially against the shaky AFC.
This team is more than capable of ripping off three straight wins to get to Inglewood for Super Bowl LVI. After fumbling a first-round bye with a loss to the Bengals last week, it looks like three straight wins is precisely what they’ll need to do.
How Steelers Reached 2022 NFL Playoffs
Chase Howell: Two weeks ago it looked like the Steelers’ season was all but over after a 36-10 loss to the Chiefs. But the Steelers have fired off two straight wins and snuck into the playoffs for Ben Roethlisberger’s final season.
Big Ben will be the story – and for good reason as the 39-year-old wraps up a tremendous career – but this team relies on its defense and running the football to win games.
First-round pick Najee Harris has exceeded expectations in his rookie season. The former Alabama back eclipsed the Steelers’ rookie rushing record in Week 17 and has shown he can be a reliable running back for a long time in the NFL.
Roethlisberger might have to rekindle some old magic if he wants his team to advance in the postseason. They ranked just 23rd in Football Outsiders’ total DVOA on offense this season despite having legitimate weapons across the board.
The defense is the reason this team is in the playoffs. They rank 15th in total DVOA on defense and are led by All-Pro T.J. Watt. The only two Steelers selected to the Pro Bowl this season come from the defensive side of the ball in Watt and defensive tackle Cameron Hayward.
