The Kansas City Chiefs made a statement with a 38-28 win over the Los Angeles Chargers to open the season. They will attempt to build on that strong start against an AFC opponent that has had their number in recent years when they visit the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. Pittsburgh has won each of the last five meetings between these teams at Heinz Field but are coming off a 21-21 tie against the Cleveland Browns in Week 1. But the Steelers were sloppy in that game, committing six turnovers. Will they be more disciplined this week?

NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis

Kansas City is 5-1 against the spread in its last six games dating back to last season. However, the Chiefs have struggled against the Steelers on the road with the biggest question marks surrounding their offence. The total has gone under in six of Kansas City’s last seven games against Pittsburgh. The Chiefs are going to need to produce at a high level on offence if they are going to win on Sunday.

Pittsburgh has won five straight home games against the Chiefs. The fact that they have dominated Kansas City at home is likely a big reason why the Steelers are 5.5-point favorites following their tie with Cleveland. Pittsburgh’s dominance of the Chiefs includes a 4-1 ATS record in their last five meetings.

Kansas City Chiefs

First-year starter Patrick Mahomes had no problem carving up the Chargers defence in a 38-28 win in Week 1. Mahomes threw for 256 yards and four touchdowns with Tyreek Hill doing the bulk of the damage. Hill went off for 169 receiving yards and two touchdowns, showcasing his speed and big play ability once again. Mahomes has a big arm so getting the ball to Hill downfield won’t be an issue. While Mahomes will need to be good again, Kansas City will also need more from running back Kareem Hunt, who ran for 49 yards against LA in Week 1.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs need their defence to be better after they gave up 547 total yards against the Chargers. That’s the concern here is that maybe the Chiefs aren’t as good as they looked and possibly the Chargers were sloppy. The Chargers dropped several easy touchdowns and also gave up a number of big plays. The Chiefs didn’t make mistakes in Week 1 but will have to play better in Week 2 to win.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers have a lot of work to do on both sides of the football heading in to this week’s matchup. The biggest issues were on offence. Ben Roethlisberger completed just 23-of-41 pass attempts for 335 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions. He was also sacked four times. Pittsburgh finished the game with six turnovers. The fact that the Steelers managed to salvage a tie in the face of those numbers is an accomplishment that likely wouldn’t happen again this season. James Conner ran for 135 yards and two touchdowns and that’s very encouraging.

This is merely a matchup of opposites: the Chiefs played above average but made mistakes and won. The Steelers played really well but were crippled by mistakes. If the Steelers are focused this week, they should roll. The Chiefs – especially their defence – are not as good as they looked.

Chiefs vs. Steelers Prediction