Chiefs vs. Steelers 2016 preview: AFC playoff contenders clash on ‘Sunday Night Football’

The Pittsburgh Steelers' offense is getting closer to full strength with star running back Le'Veon Bell coming back from a three-game suspension. His return couldn't come at a better time as Pittsburgh takes on a fellow AFC playoff contender in the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football.

Bell sat out the first three games of the season after being suspended by the NFL for a violation of the substance abuse policy (he got it appealed down from an initial four-game ban). DeAngelo Wiliams did an admirable job filling in for Bell, rushing for 258 yards in the first three games. But Pittsburgh's offense didn't have the extra spark Bell provides — even with Antonio Brown still at the top of his game — and the loss of red zone monster Martavis Bryant (suspended for the year) particularly stings.

Those problems came to a head during an ugly no-show in Week 3. The Steelers were thoroughly outplayed by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 34-3 loss, with Williams managing only 21 rushing yards and Ben Roethlisberger fumbling twice. Markus Wheaton was a horror show in his season debut, dropping three passes and getting benched at one point. The defense got carved up by Carson Wentz. The loss dropped Pittsburgh to 2-1 on the season.

To make matters worse, the Steelers have been ravaged by injuries. They have seven players ruled out for this week, with the biggest names being Ryan Shazier and Eli Rogers. Shazier has been playing through a knee injury the first three weeks, but he'll be sitting out this one, which is a major blow to the defense. Rogers is a promising young receiver who stepped up in the absence of Bryant, but he's out with turf toe. The Steelers may not have any choice but to feed Bell the rock in his first regular season appearance.

The Chiefs are also hoping to see their star running back return, but he's less of a certainty. Jamaal Charles suffered a torn ACL last season and he's still trying to get back to full strength, missing the first three games of this season. Charles was upgraded from doubtful to questionable and Adam Schefter reports he'll make his 2016 debut on Sunday night, but the Chiefs will likely ease him back into action.

Even if Charles still isn't 100 percent, the Chiefs have a capable backup in Spencer Ware. Playing a feature back role the first three weeks of the season, Ware has 41 carries for 202 yards and a touchdown, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. He's kept the running game productive, allowing Alex Smith, Jeremy Maclin and Travis Kelce to do their thing through the air. Smith is having a typically efficient season, throwing for 786 yards, three touchdowns and just one interception on a 66.9 completion percentage.

Of course, the real story of the Chiefs is on defense. Marcus Peters won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2015 and is making the leap to superstardom in his second year — he already has four interceptions in just three games. If the Chiefs let Peters shadow Brown all night, we could be in for one of the best matchups of Week 4.

Even with Justin Houston out indefinitely, the Chiefs still have a stout defense. They're tied for 12th-best in yards allowed per game, lead the league in takeaways with 10, and are giving up just 16.3 points per game. This is the same winning formula that Andy Reid rode to the Divisional round last season, and it's paying dividends despite the major injury concerns.

With both teams at 2-1, this could be a possible playoff preview. The Steelers need to rebound from last week's humiliation if they're to keep pace in the AFC North, where both the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals are strong contenders. The Chiefs are a game behind the Denver Broncos, who once again look like one of the best teams in the conference. The winner of this matchup will have a strong leg up in the postseason race. If nothing else, it should be a much more competitive Sunday Night Football game than last week's stinker between the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears.