Steelers Now Favorites in Chiefs Matchup?

The Pittsburgh Steelers may find themselves as the favorites for their Christmas Day matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Dec 1, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Ben Skowronek (15) reacts after advancing the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals in the second half at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Steelers are fighting an uphill battle towards seizing the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff picture, though things may slowly be trending in their favor given how well the team has played in recent weeks.

On NFL Network's Good Morning Football, Peter Schrager stated that he believes the Steelers would currently be favored over the Kansas City Chiefs, who are 11-1 and top dogs in the conference at the moment.

"Hey, question real quick," Schrager said. "Chiefs at Steelers on Netflix Christmas Day ... I think the Steelers might be favored if the game was to be played tomorrow. What would you guys say about that right now? That's how much different these two teams look right now."

As Schrager noted, Pittsburgh and Kansas City will play one another at Acrisure Stadium in Week 17 as part of an NFL doubleheader on Christmas.

The Chiefs are tied for the best record in the league and are coming off of consecutive Super Bowl championships, but they haven't played their best brand of football this season. Their five most recent wins have all come by one possession, including narrow victories over the 3-9 Carolina Panthers and 2-10 Las Vegas Raiders the past two weeks.

The Steelers' resume isn't spotless either, as they dropped a Thursday Night Football showdown to the Cleveland Browns in Week 12, but they rebounded with a Week 13 win against the Cincinnati Bengals and are now 6-1 in their last seven contests.

Former wide receiver Isaiah Stanback also chimed in on the topic, inferring that Pittsburgh's offense could represent the difference between the teams after Russell Wilson threw for 414 yards and three touchdowns as part of a 44-point outing in Cincinnati.

"I'd have to say yes, the Steelers have to be favored," Stanback said. "Just because they're playing lights-out offensively. The Chiefs aren't playing lights-out anything."

The Steelers are two games behind Kansas City with a 9-3 record as the No. 3 seed while the Buffalo Bills presently own the No. 2 seed at 10-2.

Pittsburgh's main focus is more so on clinching the AFC North and staving off the Baltimore Ravens, meaning that its matchup with the Chiefs is important one way or another. Finding a way to capture the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the postseason would be quite the prize within that entire equation, however

With that said, Patrick Mahomes and company can't be slept on, as it remains head honcho until proven otherwise no matter how well teams like the Steelers or Bills have performed this year.

Including the playoffs, Kansas City is a perfect 3-0 vs. Pittsburgh with Mahomes at quarterback. If the Steelers want to make the most of their campaign, a victory at home over the Chiefs in the penultimate game of the regular season could help set them up for a run at the Lombardi Trophy.

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