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.