Photo: Jamie Squire / Getty Images
The Kansas City Chiefs dismissed the career of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday by eliminating them with a score of 42-21 and qualified for the divisional round of the American Conference.
Kansas City, AFC monarch, will face the Buffalo Bills in the next instance.
Roethlisberger of 39 years old, 18 years in the NFL and winner of two Super Bowl rings with Pittsburgh, announced a couple of weeks that this was his last season. In this match he passed for 215 yards and hit two touchdown passes.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, from 26 years old, champion in Super Bowl LIV, finished du rating with 550 passing yards, five TDs and one interception.
The Steelers’ defense kept the local offense, third in the league, at bay in the first quarter. He intercepted Mahomes thanks to Jordan Watt, leading NFL passer sacks with 22.5, who deflected a pass caught by teammate Devin Bush.
At the start of the second quarter, Watt, a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, recovered a Mecole Hardman fumble, caused by Cameron Heyward, which Watt took into the end zone to put Pittsburgh ahead by seven points.
Kansas City woke up to a series that started inside their yard 20; ran 81 yards in 11 plays that culminated in Mahomes’ air connection to Jerick McKinnon that tied the duel.
The Chiefs struck again in the final part of the first half with a shipment from the owner of jersey number 15 for Byron Pringle which gave them an advantage of 14-7, and extended into the final seconds before the break with a pass to Travis Kelce to put on 21-7.
After seven punts from their offense, the Steelers’ defense doubled down in the third quarter on a 68 coach’s team yards Andy Reid culminating in a pass to lineman Nick Allegretti , 35-7.
The nightmare for the visiting attack was prolonged with the Najee Harris fumble that Mahomes capitalized on on the next drive sending into the end zone to Tyreek Hill, 35-7.
Midway through the third quarter Mike Tomlin’s team finally scored with their offense with a pass from Roethlisberger to Diontae Johnson, 35-14.
In the last period the Chiefs surprised with a play in which tight end Travis Kelce played the passer and connected with Pringle to lengthen the distance, 42- 14. Pittsburgh added another seven points with James Washington to leave the difference at 39-21.