KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- "We’re playing the No. 1 team. I know they’re not the No. 1 seed, but they’re the team that’s won the AFC the last two years. Arguably, they’re the best team in football. We don’t have a chance."
That was Ben Roethlisberger. And he was, of course, correct on all counts.
"Hey, what do we have to lose?"
That was Trai Turner. No less correct.
Really, this isn't all that complex: The Steelers have no tougher opponent they could be facing in the AFC Wild Card round than the Chiefs, beginning at 8:15 p.m. Eastern at Arrowhead Stadium. They're very clearly being given no chance of prevailing, with the betting line currently at 12.5 points, or five bigger than any other first-round matchup. And, to Turner's point, they really do have nothing to lose when it comes to expectations, unless I'm grossly misreading the Nation's overarching sentiment over the past few days.
And unlike Ben, I'm not being glib with any of that. If there's a single facet that's decisively tilting toward the Pittsburgh side in this setting beyond that of all-universe mega-star edge rusher, I'm not familiar with it.
OK, the placekicker, too. Maybe a couple others.
At the same time, in this strangest of NFL seasons, it shouldn't be a surprise that it's almost as easy to concoct reasons why the reverse outcome's ... if not realistic, then at least plausible.
Here are 10 such reasons I've worked (very hard) to whip up, presented in descending order:
10. THIS CRAZY CONFERENCE
The Steelers beat the Titans, the AFC's actual No. 1 seed. The Steelers also beat the Bills, who obliterated the Patriots last night in Orchard Park, N.Y. and might still emerge as the class of the conference.
Those aren't the opponents today, obviously, but two of the Chiefs' five losses came to the Titans and Bills by an aggregate score of 65-23.
What happens once -- or twice -- can happen again.
9. THE T.J. FACTOR
Speaking of crazy: When T.J. Watt logged 40-plus snaps in a game this season, the Steelers were 9-2. When he didn't, they were 0-5-1. Also, when he logged those 40-plus snaps, the Steelers allowed an average of 19.9 points. When he didn't, that average was 29.8. Also, when he logged those 40-plus snaps, the Steelers averaged 3.9 sacks. When he didn't, that average was 1.6.
As far as anyone knows, T.J.'s as healthy as he's been entering this one.
There's no way that isn't significant.
8. HEALTH, HEALTH, HEALTH
JuJu Smith-Schuster's uplifting return to practice this week -- and yes, he'll play tonight -- was only part of the Great Exodus of Parentheses from the Steelers' injury report.
This was the most recent official listing, following Friday's practice back home ...
... after which, yesterday, Najee Harris was entirely removed from the report. Which left every player there as a full participant in the most recent practice.
I'm not about to blame the Steelers' general ills on injuries. But they haven't been this healthy since beating the Bills.
Also significant.
Very.
7. THAT EXTRA JUJU
It can't be overstated how popular JuJu is within the Steelers' world, meaning with his teammates and coaches. And a lot of what makes him beloved went on full display these past few days.
Put it this way: He's on a one-year contract. He's got everything to gain, individually, by following the medical staff's original prognosis, missing the rest of the season and entering his summer with a clean bill of health on that shoulder. But he chose an accelerated rehab, and he chose to rejoin his team for a game that almost everyone expects them to lose.
That, my friends, is a Pittsburgh Steeler.
Just like this:
I N C O M I N G ! pic.twitter.com/EUIt6hQlFa
— Mathew Mackinnon (@MackinnonMathew) January 15, 2022
And it really should be a Steeler for life.
6. INDIVIDUAL UPGRADES
My guess is that JuJu's snaps will be limited, that he'll weave in and out with Ray-Ray McCloud. Which is perfect. The latter took the former's role in the offense, and the latter's nowhere near as talented. So if JuJu takes 20 snaps, with an emphasis on third downs, the team will be better at that one position.
Similarly, J.C. Hassenauer's been an upgrade over Kendrick Green at center, and he'll start there again tonight. Hassenauer hasn't made anyone forget Dermontti Dawson, but he's performed at about an NFL average level, which is better.
John Leglue will start at left guard again. He's followed Hassenauer's journeyman path, and he's matched that passion, that joy that can only come with having earned a spot the hard way. And, as I reported in Friday Insider, Ben's been uncommonly delighted with Leglue's performance to date.
There are examples on the other side of the ball, as well -- Ahkello Witherspoon's rise pops first to mind -- but it's the offense that's been most maddening with the lack of progress, so the others seem to stand out more.
It's a better football team today than it was a few weeks ago. That's what I'm saying.
5. INSIDE LINEBACKER
Um ... OK, I've got nothing here.
4. FREAK 'EM OUT
Not that this matters much, but the Steelers are seen as a speed bump in this corner of the country. And by speed bump, I mean one that's roughly the circumference of a pencil.
I left my hotel TV on after the two NFL games ended last night, and when Kansas City's local news came on, the entire sports segment was dedicated to what kind of history the Chiefs might make should the reach a third consecutive Super Bowl. And as God is my witness, through the entire two-minute segment, the word 'Steelers' never made it out of this dude's mouth.
The fans don't play the games. The media don't, either. But there's no environment in which a home team is wholly sheltered from surrounding noise. And if there were, this football-mad base sure wouldn't be it. The Chiefs will hear it. They'll process it.
That doesn't mean they'll take anything for granted. I'm not a big believer in that sort of thing. These are professionals.
But it might mean that, if things get tight ... you know, like this ...
... it won't be the Steelers following suit. It'll be the other guys.
3. THROW IT TO THE WIND
Hopeful as most of this exercise will -- and should -- come across -- the most absurd thing I could forecast is that Matt Canada could suddenly become inventive and/or ambitious. So I won't.
But I'm plenty comfortable suggesting the quarterback adopts that approach.
Look, the main advantage in being an underdog is that ability to freak out the opponent by trying things a team normally wouldn't try in a playoff game. To just wing it. To let it fly. And if I'm Ben, I'm thinking about all those occasions over this season in which he did exactly that in the fourth quarter -- especially Los Angeles and Minneapolis -- in heaving old-school Ben bombs to Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, even James Washington. So it's not like it'd be unprecedented.
There's a 0.00% chance Andy Reid will have invested a solitary minute of this week's prep for the Steelers throwing deep, right?
Make 'em pay. Again, freak 'em out a little.
And on that note ...
2. BEN
He didn't mean a single syllable of what's above, for anyone who hadn't already figured that out. That snark, that sarcasm ... that's just how he gets when he's putting on his serious face.
For all the storylines related to his retirement, I've been most entertained by the metamorphosis from the teary farewell at Heinz Field to just plain football. That began in Baltimore, with Ben leaving the family behind in Pittsburgh and, according to him, barely thinking about how he might've been playing his last game. He was just playing again.
It's all bonus round now. And carefree Ben's always been the best Ben.
Once more, with gusto: Let it fly.
1. THE TRUTH
“Man, I don't really care about the underdog thing. I don't think that matters at all. Anytime that you're playing a sport, no matter what people say or think, it doesn't make a team win or lose the game. Cause they're not playing the game at all. They're just giving their comments. So I don't really give a hell about any of that s---. I mean, for us to be here and have the opportunity to play, I'm just excited for that. Let's have fun. Let's compete, man.”
That was Najee. Correct as correct gets.