5 things we learned: Playoff picture coming into focus, and it's not a clear one for reeling Steelers

Here are 5 things we learned from Chiefs 29, Steelers 10:

1. Sowing the seeds

One thing became certain with the Steelers extending their losing streak to three games with the Christmas loss to Kansas City:

They are assured of not facing the Chiefs again in the first round of the playoffs.

With the Chiefs earning the top seed and the accompanying bye, that removes them from playing in what the NFL now calls Super Wild Card Weekend. That moniker was developed when the league added a seventh playoff team to each conference and three games apiece in the AFC and NFC to kick off the opening week of the postseason.

By falling behind Baltimore in the AFC North, the Steelers seem to be destined for a wild-card berth and road playoff game unless they find a way to snap that three-game skid against Cincinnati on the first weekend of January. And if Baltimore loses at home to Cleveland, which is unlikely. Unless both scenarios happen, the Steelers will go on the road.

The highest the Steelers can finish is with the No. 3 seed if they somehow win the division. More likely, they will be the No. 5, No. 6 or No. 7 seed. That would send them to Baltimore, Houston or Buffalo in the first playoff round.

The No. 7 seed is still in play if the Steelers lose to the Bengals, and the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers run the table and finish with 11-6 records. Another trip to Buffalo for a postseason game would be the ultimate slap in the face for a team that had a 10-3 record less than two weeks ago and was a win at Baltimore away from clinching the division title.

2. Slow starters

Perhaps the least surprising aspect of the game was the Steelers falling behind in the first quarter. The 13-0 deficit marked the fifth game in a row the Steelers trailed at the end of 15 minutes. The last time they took a lead into the second quarter was the Week 11 game against Baltimore when the Steelers had a meager 3-0 advantage.

During the three-game losing streak, one constant has been the Steelers trailing by at least a touchdown in the first quarter and by double digits in the first half. It’s hard for any team to play catch up regularly, more so for one that doesn’t have established playmaking receivers aside from George Pickens and uses the running game to establish tempo.

Consider that the Steelers trailed 17-3 in the first half against Philadelphia, 17-7 against Baltimore and 13-0 against Kansas City. They have not held a lead at any point in those games.

Worse, the Steelers have scored three first-quarter touchdowns in 16 games this season. On the flip side, the Steelers have yielded at least one touchdown in the first quarter in five consecutive games, and they’ve allowed first-quarter touchdowns nine times — or more than half their games.

3. Slow finishers

While the Steelers have been guilty of “warming up” as coach Mike Tomlin says — meaning they aren’t ready from the start — they also have shown an aversion to being a so-called fourth-quarter team.

In five consecutive games, the Steelers have allowed an opponent to score at least one fourth-quarter touchdown, including two by the Chiefs to turn a 16-10 lead into a three-score rout. Moreover, the Steelers have allowed fourth-quarter points in seven consecutive games. Opponents have scored 72 points in that span — or more than 10 a game.

The defense isn’t only to blame for wilting down the stretch. For the fourth game in a row, the Steelers were held without a point over the final 15 minutes.

4. Jonesing for sacks

It didn’t matter a bit that Kansas City star defensive tackle Chris Jones watched from the sideline. The Chiefs tied their season high with five sacks, constantly pressuring Russell Wilson.

Jones accounted for 35.2% of the Chiefs’ pressures through 16 weeks, according to Pro Football Network, the highest for any defensive tackle in the NFL and fourth highest of any player. He was hardly missed.

Wilson has a penchant for being sacked in his career. It marked the 30th time he was sacked at least five times in a game, and it was reminiscent of his two seasons with the Denver Broncos when he had three six-sack games in 2022 and games of five, six and seven sacks last season.

The Steelers offensive line had done a better job keeping Wilson upright until Wednesday as he had been sacked eight times in the previous four games. But Wilson was sacked on each of the Steelers’ first two possessions, which ended with punts that were followed by Kansas City touchdowns.

The Steelers, meantime, had zero sacks and just two hits on Patrick Mahomes.

5. Airing it out

Continuing a trend that carried through the gauntlet of three games in 11 days, the Steelers defense was no match for Mahomes, the two-time MVP and MVP of the past two Super Bowls. Mahomes finished with a 127.1 passer rating and averaged 8.4 yards per pass play. Contrast that with Wilson, who had a 65.7 rating and averaged 3.9 yards per pass.

Mahomes merely was following in the footsteps of another two-time MVP, Lamar Jackson, and Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts, another of the league’s highly regarded passers. Jackson had a 115.4 rating and averaged 8.3 yards per pass, which was a season high against the Steelers until he was surpassed by Mahomes.

For his part, Hurts had a 125.3 rating and averaged 7.7 yards per pass.

The Steelers, though, also have shown difficulty in stopping lower-tiered quarterbacks. In all six of their losses, opponents have averaged at least 7.0 yards per pass. That includes matchups against Dak Prescott, Anthony Richardson/Joe Flacco and Jameis Winston.

The Steelers are 10-0 when the defense holds the opponent to less than 7 yards a pass attempt.