NFL Expert Picks, Week 16: Steelers facing toughest test yet vs. the Chiefs

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs are slated to face off in Week 16 of the 2021 regular season, and there are a lot of narratives between these two teams. For the Chiefs, they are trying to remain a top team in the AFC and continue their 7-game winning streak, while the Steelers are a team trying to find a way to right the ship and remain relevant in both the AFC North and AFC Playoff Picture.

For those who follow the current betting lines, the Steelers opened as 10-point road underdogs, and, according to DraftKings Sportsbook, that line has moved from 10-points to 8.5-points, likely due to the Steelers starting to get some of their banged up players back in the lineup for the final stretch combined with several members of the Chiefs currently on the Reserve/COVID-19 List.

(Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.)

At this point, it is time to check in and see who the pundits who call themselves experts like in this showdown in Kansas City this Sunday.

For those new to this article, there are two types of experts when it comes to NFL picks. There are those who just pick the overall winner, and those who expound on their picks and give a reason for their prediction.

As for the former of the above types of experts, there are many sites who have their experts just plug in a winner and move on with their day. Of those sites, the majority, if not all, of experts at Yahoo!, ESPN and FOX like the Chiefs to win, and this should surprise no one. You have to search pretty hard to find an expert who still believes the Steelers can pull off the victory Sunday on the road.

As for the experts who actually put some thoughts, and explanation behind their picks, like Pete Prisco of CBS Sports, he likes the Steelers to keep it close, but lose a thriller to the Chiefs in Week 16.

The Steelers are pretty much playing for their playoff lives, which won’t be easy against the best team in the AFC. The Chiefs have played great defense the last five games, which will make it a challenge for Ben Roethlisberger. The Chiefs offense has shown signs of coming to life lately, but they could be without Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. The Steelers will hang around here, but the Chiefs will win it.

Pick: Chiefs 24, Steelers 23

If you are looking for a less black-and-gold view of the game, look no further than Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News, who thinks the Chiefs are too much for the Steelers this Sunday.

The Steelers played much better defense against the Titans to help them win a low-scoring game. But they also gave up a ton in the running game and got a break from a team with almost no real passing game. That’s not the case vs. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Darrel Williams, Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. Kansas City is playing like a team possessed and focused on another No. 1 seed, while Pittsburgh is on the ropes to fall out of playoff contention.

Pick: Chiefs win 34-17

The thought of this game being close isn’t abnormal when you look at several expert picks. Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com also sees this game being a one-score contest.

It’s depressing to have takeaways from how COVID outbreaks impact NFL games, but the most obvious ones are that the quality of the missing players matters, and the quantity is important, too. The Chiefs are dealing with both issues. This is not 2018; I don’t trust Kansas City’s offense without Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill. Honestly, I’m not sure I trust the unit with them. The Zombie Steelers defy numbers and find a way to make every game ugly close.

Pick: Chiefs 20, Steelers 16

These are just a few sites who make weekly NFL picks. When you think about all those sites not listed above, this is when we turn to our friends at NFL Pick Watch, a site dedicated to tracking NFL expert picks by the week. They take all expert picks and put them into an easy-to-read graph for fans to enjoy. When it comes to the Steelers vs. Chiefs game, 97% of NFL experts like the Chiefs to hold serve at Arrowhead Stadium and win on Sunday.

What do you think about the upcoming game? Will the experts have it right? Or are they way off? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below, and be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the black and gold as they prepare for the Chiefs in Week 16.