Sunday’s 18-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers was a tough one to take for Kansas City Chiefs fans. Reviewing a couple of missed opportunities by quarterback Alex Smith that might have changed the outcome of the game probably isn’t going to make it easier.
Tyreek Hill burned the Steelers secondary twice, but Alex Smith didn’t throw him the ball
Kansas City lost by just two points, so this has to be painful for Chiefs fans.
Jeanna Kelley has been covering the Falcons for The Falcoholic since 2011 and the NFL for SB Nation since 2015.
On this play, Smith has an intact pocket, and Hill has a clean release downfield. Still, with a Steelers defender lumbering up the middle, Smith scrambles.
Hill is just absolutely gone. Considering his speed and the fact that there’s no Pittsburgh defender within several yards of him, if Smith stays with the play for just long enough to air it out to Hill, that’s seven more points on the board for Kansas City.
Smith had another opportunity to hit Hill for a touchdown, and it went about as well as the first.
This time, there are at least defenders trying to cover Hill, but thanks to his speed, he has them beat. Smith’s pocket is pretty clean again, although he’s reacting like it isn’t. The offensive line can only hold off the Steelers for so long, and Smith holds on to this ball far too long considering that Hill is, for much of this time, definitely open.
At least the Chiefs did still score on this drive, although it took about five more minutes off the clock.
The Chiefs defense held the Steelers to zero touchdowns on Sunday, forcing Pittsburgh to settle for six field goals. Still, Kansas City lost by two points, and just one more touchdown would have changed the course of the game.
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