Steelers vs. Chiefs Final Score: Steelers defeat Chiefs 17-7 in sloppy preseason game

The Pittsburgh Steelers were slated to play the Kansas City Chiefs at Heinz Field Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET. Due to thunderstorms in the Pittsburgh area, kickoff was moved back an entire hour before these two AFC powerhouses finally got the game underway.

The Steelers elected to receive the football to start the game, and Mason Rudolph was first under center for the black-and-gold with the first team minus players like Ben Roethlisberger, Maurkice Pouncey and David DeCastro.

After back-to-back runs to James Conner, the Steelers dialed up a pass with Rudolph on 3rd and 2, only to see it fall incomplete and punt the ball away. The Chiefs’ starters, including Patrick Mahomes, started the game and wasted little time going to work. But when their drive reached the midfield mark, it stalled.

The Steelers were forced to punt again, and Mahomes and company took over with good field position, but on a 2nd down run by Carlos Hyde, Terrell Edmunds got his hands on the football, causing a fumble, and it was recovered by Sean Davis. The very next play from scrimmage, Rudolph hit Donte Moncrief for a short gain, but Moncrief fumbled the ball back to the Chiefs.

Chad Henne took over for the Chiefs, but both teams failed to register any points on the scoreboard before the end of the first quarter. The second quarter was more of the same for both teams until Rudolph started to get into a rhythm with his college teammate James Washington. Two big completions to Washington got the Steelers into Kansas City territory for the first time in the game. Diontae Johnson’s first professional reception set up a Jaylen Samuels run into the endzone for the first score of the game.

Boswell’s point-after was good, making the score 7-0 with 6:39 left in the first half.

Chad Henne wasn’t about to be outdone by Mason Rudolph, and he put together a drive of his own. With 1:11 left in the half Henne hit Mecole Hardman for a 17-yard touchdown to tie the game 7-7.

Joshua Dobbs came into the game to try and move the Steelers into at least field goal range before heading into halftime, and he delivered a long 40-yard strike to James Washington on the first play from scrimmage. However, the Steelers failed to get into field goal range and turned the ball over on downs. Instead of just kneeling out the half, Mike Hilton caused a fumble while blitzing and Skipper Tuzar recovered the football with 25 seconds left in the half.

A pass to Eli Rogers aided by a personal foul set the Steelers up inside the 10-yard line, but Dobbs threw an interception at the goal line which was returned to midfield. The Chiefs’ completed a quick pass before giving Harrison Butker a 58-yard attempt which sailed wide right. The first half ended with a 7-7 tie, and the Chiefs due to get the ball after the break.

The Chiefs, led by Kyle Shurmer at quarterback, put together a nice drive to start the third quarterback, but resulted in another punt. Diontae Spencer had a 38-yard return to give the Steelers tremendous field position. However, the quarter continued to be nothing but punts. Nonetheless, Dobbs finally got the team into Kansas City territory and looked as if he threw a touchdown to Diontae Johnson, but the play was brought back after Offensive Pass Interference was called. The booth challenged the call, but the penalty was upheld. The drive resulted in a Matthew Wright field goal, making the score 10-7.

Pittsburgh’s defense continued to keep the Chiefs off the scoreboard, and when Devlin Hodges came into the game he quickly moved the offense down the field, hitting Diontae Johnson for his first professional touchdown of his career. After the point-after it made the score 17-7 with 4:22 left in regulation.

Kansas City was threatening to add to their point total, but a Marcus Allen hit caused a fumble which was recovered by the Steelers with 1:31 left in the game. Both teams failed on their final possessions, and the game ended with the final score 17-7 in favor of the Steelers.

The Steelers’ win moves their preseason record to 2-0 as they prepare to play the Tennessee Titans in Nashville in Week 3, their first road game of the preseason. Stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the black-and-gold as the regular season inches closer.