NFL Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City Chiefs Need Clutch Coaching for Christmas

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By @DLaC67

Andy Reid Kansas City Chiefs

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

This should be an insanely fun Sunday in the NFL. Only four teams have so far clinched a playoff seed, which is the second-fewest since the league expanded to a 12-team playoff structure in 1990.

The scenarios for some teams are intriguingly complicated, but the Kansas City Chiefs now know they can take control of their playoff fate with a Sunday win at Heinz Field. The competition they’ll face there is a hungry Pittsburgh Steelers squad with a veteran core that can clinch its own playoff berth just by beating KC. A Steelers victory would also give them a chance to beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Pittsburgh to win the AFC North outright.

Fans in the Steel City may already be envisioning their team’s first divisional championship since 2010, but the resilient Chiefs still stand in their way. A KC win guarantees them a temporary seat as the AFC’s No. 6 seed heading into Week 17 against the San Diego Chargers, another team still in the playoff hunt, thanks to Saturday night’s comeback victory.

To keep their playoff hopes alive, the Chiefs need to win the chess match. Andy Reid showcased both his savvy and stubbornness in 2014, and the Chiefs need more Jekyll than Hyde to win their final two regular season games. A well-coached, well-balanced offense over the next two weeks can take this team into the playoffs with a full head of steam, but a lack thereof will end this season for Kansas City before January.

That doesn’t mean KC’s offense is even the biggest key to their Week 16 game. To take Pittsburgh’s playoff berth away, the Chiefs’ defense must also defeat a fearsome and fun-to-hate foe.

Todd Haley still isn’t loved in Pittsburgh, but his fan club in Kansas City is far smaller. Haley’s sentiments about the Chiefs are similarly sour, which makes many wonder how he’ll attempt to attack KC’s defense. Le’Veon Bell already broke the Steelers’ franchise record for yards for scrimmage in a season, and the Chiefs struggle to stop the run. Haley revels in spreading out opposing defenses and passing the ball around; his primary tool, Antonio Brown, is arguably the AFC’s best receiver right now.

Pittsburgh averages over 300 passing yards a game this year, and Haley’s ugly dismissal as the Chiefs’ head coach in 2011 gave him plenty of reasons to want to stomp the Chiefs with his preferred strategy. Despite KC’s lack of effectiveness against virtually any running back they’ve faced this season, Haley will probably keep the offensive attack balanced. Whether fans in KC like him or not, he’s helped the Steelers gain the most yards per game of any team in the league this season.

Kansas City’s ability to limit that league-leading offense’s effectiveness could decide this game. Defensive coordinator Bob Sutton must outwit Haley by correctly deciding when to apply pressure on Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger. If the Steelers find their rhythm on offense and the Chiefs can’t shake it, Pittsburgh will see their playoff tickets punched today. It seems that all the Chiefs need for Christmas is some clutch coaching, but they will need it to come a few days early this year.

Doug LaCerte is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DLaC67, “like” him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google.

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