It wasn't always pretty, but the No. 2-seeded Kansas City Chiefs took a 21-7 lead over the No. 7-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers into halftime of the AFC wild card matchup.
The two teams played to a scoreless first quarter, and it was the Steelers who finally put some points on the board in the second thanks to some sloppy play from the Chiefs’ offense.
On an attempted trick play, running back Darrel Williams dropped the ball twice after taking a handoff from wide receiver Mecole Hardman in the backfield. While Williams was able to corral the ball the first time, Steelers star defensive end T.J. Watt picked it up the second time and took it 26 yards to the house.
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It was the second turnover of the night that Watt played a role in, as his deflection on a Patrick Mahomes pass in the first quarter led to an interception for linebacker Devin Bush Jr.
The Chiefs’ offense finally kicked into gear after Watt’s TD, as Mahomes and Co. reeled off 21 unanswered points over the final six minutes of the half. First, it was Mahomes tossing a shovel pass to Jerick McKinnon for a four-yard score.
Then, following a three-and-out by the Pittsburgh offense, Mahomes hit wideout Byron Pringle for a 12-yard TD.
And finally, after another Steelers three-and-out, Mahomes found tight end Travis Kelce on a third-and-20 for a 48-yard touchdown.
Mahomes finished the half 19 of 28 passing for 241 yards, three touchdowns and one pick.
Meanwhile, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger was just 5 of 14 for 24 yards, and the Steelers’ offense was outgained in total offense by a ridiculously wide margin: 302-44.
