Written by Eric Edholm at YahooSports.com
The closest the Pittsburgh Steelers got to scoring a touchdown was five yards away from the end zone, and the one time they got there they didn’t give it to Le’Veon Bell. The Steelers would learn from their mistake and ride their horse the rest of the way.
Bell set a postseason record for the most rushing yards in a player’s first two playoff games with 337 yards — 167 last week, 170 against a good Kansas City Chiefs defense on 30 carries — and kicker Chris Boswell hit on all six of his field-goal tries as the Steelers beat the Chiefs, 18-16, in a hard-fought game at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.
The Steelers will head to Foxboro to take on the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game for the right to play in Super Bowl LI. The Patriots beat the Steelers, 27-16, in Pittsburgh in Week 7 without an injured Ben Roethlisberger.
The Chiefs scored with 2:47 left in the game as Spencer Ware capped a 13-play drive to cut the lead to 18-16, and they appeared to tie the game on a two-point pass from Alex Smith to Demetrius Harris. But left tackle Eric Fisher was called for holding, and Smith’s second two-point attempt was batted away. The Chiefs had their chances, but Smith’s receivers consistently let him down and crucial penalties throughout the game crushed them.
The Steelers’ defense made plays time and time again in the victory and held the Chiefs to 227 yards, including 61 on the ground. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid lost only his third game in 19 tries following a bye week, and his biggest weapons, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, were kept mostly in check. Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison, looking spry at age 39, led an attack that kept Smith off balance much of the night.
To continue reading this article, click here.
