Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Kansas City Chiefs Preview

It's back to the drawing board week!

After last weeks debacle against the AFC North leading Bengals, it's time to re-think a few items.

• Running the football: Okay some people are tired of me writing this and others think it is a repeat of the same old thing I keep posting. Here's the deal however. There are certain constants in the NFL. You have to run the football and you have to stop the run! Now it is true that as the NFL has evolved teams have learned how to incorporate short passes and/or establish the pass in order to run. But at the end of the day you better be able to run the ball enough in relation to how often you pass. AND NO IT IS NOT A 50/50 SITUATION! However it shouldn't exceed a 60/40 in my opinion. Let me explain.

- okay obviously there are a myriad of defenses that have been used over the years but you still only get 11 defenders on the field to stop your 11 offensive people. Now take last week against the Bengals as a for instance of why you need balance. The Bengals came into the game to stop the passing attack. How do I know that? Simple. For one the Steelers haven't done anything all year to make you respect their rushing attack. Oh they have had big games rushing, but overall they have clearly been pass happy for the most part. And they are ranked far higher in passing then they are in rushing. So from the get go the Bengals went at the them with 4 or 5 pass rushers and rarely blitzed. If you do the math that allows 6 or 7 defenders to fill linebacker and defensive back positions in pass coverage! This tells you how bad a day the O-line had also. But I blame Arians and Roethlisberger also. They set themselves up to fail. They played into the Bengals gameplan. Now if they had pounded the ball down their throat it would have given the front 4 or 5 a handful and the Bengals LB's and some DB's would have had to come up and help in run support. This opens up the passing game. The opposite can happen also. If you are running the ball so well teams may start out with 7 or 8 men in the box to stop your run. So you pass more to loosen up the front. Now do you see why you need to be able to do both?

• We need another back if Parker is done. Mendenhall is your horse and Moore is your versatile threat and 3rd down guy. Is Summers ready for some carries?

• The shotgun is a little overdone in my opinion unless you add more draw plays. Nothing like tipping your play, "hello we are passing here".

Okay so this week?

On OFFENSE: THE CHIEFS STINK on defense. The rankings:

- If you can't rush against the Chiefs then you aren't winning any Super Bowl this season.

- Ben should also have a field day against a lame secondary.

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Honestly there isn't much of a preview to make. The Chiefs are that bad that you should be able to do pretty much whatever you feel like doing. Why not do it all!

On DEFENSE: THE CHIEFS STINK on offense. The rankings:

- They tossed Larry Johson out the back door with the trash and Dwayne Bowe, probably their best receiver is suspended. They have no QB. Matt Cassel has only proven that he benefited from playing for a great team. Although he has had some injuries to address. But it doesn't matter because the Chiefs offense sucks!

- That said young RB Jamaal Charles has shown a spark and an ability to run the ball so the defense will not have a day off so to speak.

- The Steelers need to nip this kid in the bud. They need to come at the Chiefs offense with verocity and pain. If they do, the CHiefs offense will cower and hide by the 3rd quarter. I mean even when they do move the ball they can't score TD's.

NUTSHELL:

• Crush the QB!

• Smother and bury the RB!

• Run roughshod over the KC defense!

• Throw all over the field!

Crystal Ball:

• Ben is 27 for 40 for 360 yards.

• Mendenhall has 20 carries for 150 yards.

• Moore has 5 carries for 22 yards.

• Parker has 7 carries for 19 yards.

• Wallace has an end around for 20 yards.

• Ward, Holmes, Miller and Wallace all have a big day receiving.

• Steelers win 38 to 10!

By: Andy Natalie
ProFootball-fans.com Pittsburgh Steelers Correspondent