Chiefs Look to Continue Strong ATS Play Against Steelers

The Kansas City Chiefs were 10-7 ATS in 2017 and covered in a big way in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers. They’re on the road to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2, Sportsbook at +5.5 against the spread and +145 straight up. In a battle between veteran QB Ben Roethlisberger and first-year starter Patrick Mahomes, the total opened at 50.

Chiefs vs Steelers Game Center

THE CHIEFS WILL CONTINUE TO COVER

Kansas City entered its Week 1 matchup as a 3-point underdog against the Los Angeles Chargers but won 38-28, powered by an offense that looks as dangerous as ever.

The Chiefs are carrying that momentum into Heinz Field as 5-point underdogs to a Steelers team that, wait for it, was lucky to get a tie against the Cleveland Browns.

While the Steelers still have elite talents in Big Ben, Antonio Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster and coach Mike Tomlin, the ongoing feud between the team and star running back Le’Veon Bell – and his absence – is clearly a distraction, and the Steelers simply don’t look as sharp as expected. The Chiefs have an equal number of offensive weapons (see: Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Kareem Hunt) that seem to be in sync already, so covering a 5.5-point spread is definitely doable … if they don’t win straight up.

TYREEK HILL: ONE OF THE NFL’S ELITE?

Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill was already considered among the NFL’s fastest players, and is knocking on the door to be grouped among the league’s top weapons. His Week 1 performance pushes his case even more.

Hill took the Chargers’ first punt of the day 91 yards to the end zone, and followed that up with a 58-yard receiving touchdown … in the first nine minutes of the season.

He finished the day with seven catches for 169 yards and two receiving touchdowns, along with the punt return score as well. This was against a Chargers secondary that boasts one of the league’s best cornerback tandems in Casey Hayward and Jason Verrett.

Hill’s proven that he can succeed against top-flight secondaries. The Steelers defense is also very good, albeit not elite, so Hill could be in store for another big day, making both the Chiefs and the OVER look like good bets in Week 2.

BIG BEN’S TURNOVERS A CAUSE FOR CONCERN?

There’s no debating that Ben Roethlisberger has been one of the best quarterbacks of this generation, with a 135-63-1 record, six Pro Bowls, more than 50,000 career passing yards and two Super Bowl titles. But his 15th NFL season started with a one-touchdown, five-turnover performance against the Cleveland Browns.

We’re willing to give Big Ben a pass, as the weather was not kind to him in Week 1, with heavy rain all day, and the Steelers had a hard time containing standout pass rusher Myles Garrett. But Roethlisberger did seem to be a little too much of a gunslinger at times in Week 1, and the Chiefs also boast dangerous pass rushers in veteran Justin Houston and third-year pro Chris Jones.

Big Ben will need to take better care of the football in Week 2 if he wants to avoid going winless in his first two games, as well as avoid the dreaded “is he getting too old” questions that start to surround quarterbacks in their late 30s who struggle.

PATrick MAHOMES IS THE REAL DEAL

The Chiefs made a bold decision in the offseason to let three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Alex Smith walk via free agency, and hand the reins over to sophomore signal-caller Patrick Mahomes. It was only one game, but did it ever look good.

The first-year starter showed the poise of a 10-year veteran, throwing for 256 yards and four touchdowns against what is considered a top-level Chargers defense. Known for his big arm, Mahomes also showed incredible touch as well (watch his beautiful toss on a 36-yard touchdown to Anthony Sherman) and did well to protect the ball.

The Steelers left a lot of one-on-one matchups outside in Week 1, as Tyrod Taylor couldn’t take advantage. Mahomes will look to exploit those same matchups and could make Pittsburgh pay dearly.