Steelers rule 1 out for KC Chiefs, list Ladarius Green (concussion) as doubtful

Broncos vs. Chiefs | NFL Week 16 Christmas Game Highlights

Ladarius Green Pittsburgh Steelers ankle

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Ladarius Green (concussion) is doubtful for the Steelers" Sunday AFC divisional round game against the Kansas City Cheifs.Here, he stretches during warm ups before his teammates played the New York Jets in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016. (AP Photo/Gene Puskar) (Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH -- After not practicing all week Ladarius Green (concussion) is listed as doubtful for the Pittsburgh Steelers" AFC divisional round playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

He is in concussion protocol, Mike Tomlin said Tuesday.

Backup outside linebacker Anthony Chickillo (ankle) was ruled out. He did not practice all week.

Defensive end Ricardo Matthews (high right ankle sprain), who said Thursday that Friday"s practice would be his test for playing in the game or not, was a limited participant in Friday"s session. Matthews would give Pittsburgh as many as four defensive ends on the game day roster, joining Stephon Tuitt, L.T. Walton and Johnny Maxey.

Matthews is listed as questionable for Kansas City along with reserve running back Fitzgerald Toussaint (concussion).

Toussaint is the off returner on kickoffs next to Sammie Coates. Mike Tomlin said Justin Gilbert is an option on kick returns. Demarcus Ayers and Artie Burns have both said they won"t be taking them.

Gilbert missed Pittsburgh"s 30-12 win over the Miami Dolphins in the Wild Card round after struggling with a shoulder injury during the week. Tomlin said it affected his preparation.

Cobi Hamilton has also fielded kick returns this year, when Sammie Coates was fighting a hamstring injury, which Coates said has since healed.

Joey Porter is back for the chiefs game

source: http://www.pennlive.com/steelers/index.ssf/2017/01/steelers_chiefs_ladarius_doubt.html

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Ask Terez: Q&A about the Chiefs" 18-16 loss to Pittsburgh

Tyreek Hill || Half Man, Half Cheetah || 2016 Kansas City Chiefs Rookie Highlights

In this weeks postgame mailbag, The Stars Terez A. Paylor answers postgame Twitter questions about the disappointing offense, offseason areas of improvement and whether this year will be remembered as a disappointment. Read on for all that, plus the number of the day.

1. No touchdowns for the Steelers, Terez. How is it possible to lose like that? @tjsimmons

Easy. The offense didnt pull its weight. period. its something chiefs fans have seen far too much this season. The defense stands tall and makes some plays, but the offense just doesnt execute. Its why fans were so frustrated after the Tennessee loss a month ago. This loss was similar to that, in a way. Andy Reids offense was supposed to take the next step this year. Instead, the offense will be remembered for its inconsistency, and for ultimately being the reason this season came to a close too soon.

2. What happened to the offense? O-line looked as bad in pass protection as Ive seen all year. @lukeeugenehealy

The Steelers defensive front has improved as the season has gone on, and it certainly took it to the Chiefs on Sunday, racking up a sack and five quarterback hits. At the end of the day, its hard to move the ball when you cant run the ball consistently and youre losing up front. Add in far too many drops, and the continuing execution lapses that have plagued this team all year, and you get this kind of performance against what is looking like a Super Bowl-caliber team.

3. Do you think Andy Reid and Alex Smith are getting too much blame? Fluke tipped ball INT, drops by WRs, lack of run game, bad penalties. @NBendian

No. The offense has been inconsistent all year, and the blame and the credit always goes to the coach and the quarterback. The offense is Reids responsibility, so the blame there is self-explanatory, while the Chiefs would certainly have more margin for error if Smith were more of a playmaker in the Rodgers, Brees and Brady mold. It is what it is. The belief here is that you can still win with Smith, but you better be able to stop the run (this team couldnt late in the year) and have a strong, powerful offensive line (theyre not there yet).

4. How do we improve? @asapswivel

The Chiefs interior run defense has to get better, for starters. That starts with the inside linebackers, who never found a way to adequately replace Derrick Johnson. The Chiefs also missed Jaye Howard and Allen Bailey up front, but all these guys need to get stronger and more stout vs. the run. The same goes for the offensive line, which is still young and should be better next year with a full offseason of weight lifting. The Chiefs lost this game in the trenches and need to get stronger there to win games in January.

5. Taking the playofff loss into account, can this be called a good season? @GunnNorman

Technically, yes. They posted the best record of Andy Reids tenure (12-4) and won the AFC West for the first time since 2010, all while ending Denvers five-year run of dominance. Thats nice, but ultimately unsatisfying. This team has been talking Super Bowl all year, and they didnt even advance further than they did last year. Thats going to stick in the craw of many players for a long time.

The number

5 The number of divisional-round games the Chiefs have lost in a row, dating back to the mid 90s.

Source: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/red-zone/article126786924.html

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Add Chiefs" loss to Steelers to list of playoff heartbreakers in Kansas City

Tyreek Hill || Half Man, Half Cheetah || 2016 Kansas City Chiefs Rookie Highlights

So, what do we call this one? The Field Goal Game?

For KC fans, Sunday nights 18-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers marked a sad continuation of the Chiefs inability to win an AFC Divisional playoff game at home.

They are now 0-5 all-time. The previous four of those playoff losses in Kansas City have names and live in infamy.

No-punt game

Jan. 11, 2004: Colts 38, Chiefs 31

The name of this game is self-explanatory as neither team punted, but the Chiefs had the only turnover. Priest Holmes lost fumble on the first drive of the third quarter followed a missed 31-yard field-goal attempt by Morten Andersen late in the first half. Both of those plays proved to be huge.

The only time the Colts were stopped was on a fourth-down play with 8 seconds left. A 13-3 season went to waste.

Elvis Grbac game

Jan. 4, 1998: Broncos 14, Chiefs 10

The 13-3 Chiefs won the AFC West in a hard-fought battle over the Broncos, who finished 12-4. That was thought to be a big key because it meant the Chiefs had home-field advantage should they end up facing John Elway and the Broncos. Elvis Grbac was 7-2 that season as a starter before being hurt, but Rich Gannon went 6-1 in his place and fans wanted Gannon to stay the starter.

However, Gbrac played the final regular-season game, then got the start against the Broncos. Grbac seemed poised to lead a late comeback from four points down in the playoff game after driving the chiefs from their own 36 to the Denver 28. But Grbacs final pass intended for Lake Dawson in the end zone was incomplete.

Lin Elliot game

Jan. 7, 1996: Colts 10, Chiefs 7

On a bitterly cold day at Arrowhead Stadium, fans saw a 13-3 season and No. 1 seed come to a bitter end. It started promisingly as Steve Bono and Dawson connected on a 20-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.

But that was all the scoring for the Chiefs as kicker Lin Elliott missed three field goals, including a 42-yard attempt late in the game, and his name is mud among Chiefs fans.

But the thing is Bono threw three interceptions and the Chiefs lost a fumble. Colts quarterback Jim Harbaugh threw for just 112 yards with a touchdown in the second quarter and an interception.

Christmas Day game

Dec. 25, 1971: Dolphins 27-24, 2OT

This was the only playoff game ever at Municipal Stadium, and it ruined Christmas for many fans because of the result and how long the game took. The Chiefs jumped to a 10-0 lead after the first quarter, and they never trailed until Garo Yepremian kicked a 37-yard field goal to win it in the second overtime.

Miami had tied the score at 10 by halftime, but Jim Otis 1-yard run in the third quarter put the Chiefs back ahead. KC was up 24-17 in the fourth quarter, but Miamis Marv Fleming caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Bob Griese that tied it.

Chiefs fans couldnt have known it at the time, but their team wouldnt return to the playoffs for another 15 years.

Source: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/article126780124.html

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