NFL Breakdown - Steelers vs Chiefs - The Nitty Gritty

Its a MONDAY NIGHT In the 'Burgh...

Don't you just hate Monday Night games?  Sure its nice that the Steelers are in prime time, but you have to sit through all of the garbage (every other NFL team) teams play on Sunday...then you have to work on Monday all just to get to kickoff!!  Not to mention the Steelers play a ridiculous amount of primetime games this year!  Okay, I'll get off my soapbox for a second, and lets get down to the "Nitty Gritty" as I call it.  The intangibles of the Chiefs vs the Black n' Gold.  I've dissected this game every way possible, so its time I give you the down low and then my prediction.  I've been pretty close the last few weeks.  Lets see how I do with this one. 

- Monday Night Football in the 'Burgh - Alot has been written about the Steelers on Monday Night Football.  Mike Tomlin is 6-1 on Monday Nights as the head coach of the Steelers (his only loss coming in the "blackout" loss to the 49ers last year), and the Steelers haven't lost a HOME Monday Nighter since 1991 when Chuck Noll was coaching, and Merrill Hoge was the running back for the Black n' Gold.  There is something special about MNF and Pittsburgh that makes these games exctiting and the players almost always seem to thrive off of the national attention.  The Steelers look to keep the streak going with this being their only Monday Night appearance of the season.

- Chiefs Give the Ball to the OTHER Team More Than Their Own - The Kansas City Chiefs are a generous team.  It is almost Christmas season (well, I already have all of my exterior christmas lights on the house but thats besides the point...) and the Chiefs love to give this time of year.  They have turned the ball over more than any other team in the National Football League.  The Steelers are a team that isn't in a severe turnover drought, but things are tough for the Steelers D when it comes to taking the football away.  The only forced fumble (that led to a turnover) they have recorded was on a special teams play.  Ike Taylor finally caught a football last game, but this Chief's team could be the perfect elixir for the Steelers who are in desperate need of causing more turnovers if they want to be a true contender. 

- Inclement Weather - If you watched the Texans and Bears last night on Sunday Night Football you saw some pretty nasty conditions...cold, rain, and wind.  Expect the same conditions tonight in the 'Burgh.  The same storm that caused havoc in the windy city is due to hit the confluence sometime this evening bringing rain, wind, and cold.  The Steelers new found running game certainly will help the team keep the ball on the ground and dry, but don't expect Todd Haley to abandon the pass until he absolutely has to.  Alot are saying how this is a revenge game for Haley, but he just wants to win the game...period.  The weather will make things a little dicey at times, but the better team should prevail regardless of the weather.

- Stay Perfect at the Ketchup Bottle - The Steelers haven't lost a home game dating back to the Ravens loss last season.  The crown at Heinz Field takes pride in causing difficulty for opposing teams, not to mention they haven't seen the Steelers at Heinz Field that much in the first half of the season.  This is the first of back to back home games for the Black n' Gold, and so far they have stuck to my equation for being a 12-4 team...Win ALL home games (8-0) and split on the road (4-4)...add it up and you get a 12-4 team.  So far so good on getting to 12-4. 

- Catapult Into "Ravens Week" - Everyone (including SteelerNation) knows what lies ahead for the Steelers...the Baltimore Ravens coming into Pittsburgh.  However, the Steelers can't overlook this Chiefs team that is playing solely on desperation.  The Ravens had a dominant performance against the Raiders yesterday, and its time for the Steelers to show that their "dud" games are behind them with a dominant performance of their own.  Use this Chiefs game to catapult you into the Ravens game...which should be great...but we will discuss that more after the Steelers take care of business on Monday Night Football.

- PREDICTION - Time for the prediction here....this one is a tough one to call with the weather and an inspired (okay maybe not) Chiefs team coming into town.  Nonetheless, here is my prediction for tonight's game:

STEELERS - 33
Chiefs - 13

What is YOUR prediction for the game?  Leave your prediction in the Comments section below and we will see who gets closest!  GO STEELERS!