Hey yinz! Guess what?

I hit almost all of my predictions last week. The Steelers covered the spread (10 point favorite), won the game, scored 30 points (I said 30+ but close enough) and held Miami to under 20 (scoring only 12).

I missed on the pick six, but happy we got several turnovers anyway. (Shazier nearly had a pick six, by the way!)

The Killer B’s did better than I even said they would: Bell topped 150 all-purpose yards, Antonio Brown went over 100, each had a touchdown, and Ben threw at least a pair of those TD’s, getting that triple digit passer raiting.

Matt Moore went down 5 times (I predicted an over/under of 3) and Jay Ajayi wasn’t close to getting 100 rushing yards (the D held him to 33).

So what’s next? Can the Steelers repeat that success again this week?

I believe so… but let’s hope I can too!

Here are the predictions for Pittsburgh postseason trip to the Divisional Round against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Steelers force two turnovers

It could be fumbles, it could be picks, or it could be a mix, but either way, I feel like the defense has found a way to make big things happen when it counts the most, and Alex Smith, Spencer Ware and company will be hard-pressed to hold onto the football.

Tyreek Hill halted

Two returns, less than 35 yards.

That’s my stat-line for the incredibly hyped Hill, who is a capable returner, but one the Steelers shouldn’t consider kicking toward.

In fact, I’d hope Jordan Berry, like last week, doesn’t have a whole lot of reasons to kick at all! This will further limit Hill’s opportunities, in my opinion, and keep him from doing any major damage.

No sacks for you

I’m really going bold here, but the Chiefs D has gone cold in recent weeks when it comes to sacking the quarterback, while Ben Roethlisberger was barely touched by the highest paid defensive line in football last week (the Dolphins had one sack).

I find it hard to believe Kansas City will get to Ben more than Miami did. They ranked fifth-fewest in sacks this year, and Dee Ford had 10 of those: he hasn’t had one in the last six games.

Also, not to discredit Ford, but he had 5.5 of those sacks against the lowly Colts and Jaguars offensive lines (3.5 against Indy, 2.0 against Jacksonville).

It’s possible with Justin Houston back in their lineup (he missed the Week 4 game at Heinz Field) but he’s been hurt most of the season, and missed the last two games as well.

These are bold predictions, so why not go for broke?

 

Scoring

Here’s another one: The Chiefs could top 20, but I don’t have them going much more than that. 21, 22, 23 points sounds a lot like what they could do, with an offense that isn’t too hot in the redzone.

See, the Chiefs and Steelers aren’t too far apart when it comes to similarities on defense. Same goes with the Dolphins too. Miami entered last weekend 30th in run defense, where KC is ranked 26th. Both the Steelers and Chiefs are in the middle of the pack against the pass.

Pittsburgh gets in the upper 20’s, maybe tops 30 points, while the Chiefs will make it close on the scoreboard, I don’t see them surpassing the Steelers. (Of course I pick Pittsburgh to win!)

Bell

That means another big haul for Le’Veon Bell, who will top 150 yards from scrimmage and score a pair of touchdowns.

There could be freezing rain, or snow, for this game, and with crowd noise, wind, and weather, it sure seems like as good a time as ever to hand off to Le’Veon and let him do the rest.

Steelers host AFC Championship

I’m being so super silly, but Bill O’Brien, the head coach of the Texans, was once a Patriots coach. He knows the “Patriot Way” as they call it, and might be the one who could best unseat New England.

Why?

Brady has been great this season, but he’s never good under pressure. The Texans have been amazing against the pass (2nd) and stout against the run (12th).

The major differences in those two teams are points scored (Pats are 3rd, Texans 28th) and takeaways (Pats are 3rd versus Houston’s 26th ranking).

Quite simply put, if Houston can keep points off the board, they could beat New England.

And if they do, the Steelers will host the AFC Championship at Heinz Field.