Since the Pittsburgh Steelers lost by 26 points when they played the Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 26, they won back-to-back games to scratch out the last spot in the AFC playoffs.
Apparently those victories against Cleveland and Baltimore put them in the upper echelon of the conference. At least that was Andy Reid’s opinion Wednesday.
Reid, who has taken the Chiefs to the Super Bowl in each of the past two seasons, said on a conference call with Pittsburgh reporters that the Steelers are playing “like a No. 1 seed.”
No matter that the Steelers will take a 9-7-1 record into the playoffs. Or that the Chiefs beat the Steelers, 36-10, just three weeks ago.
Reid said that game can’t be taken into account.
“If you have a chance to play that team again, you have to start from scratch,” he said. “Especially if that team is playing so well. These guys are playing like a No. 1 seed right now. We have to make sure we are ready for that.”
Reid viewed the previous encounter as an aberration. The Chiefs scored on their first four possessions and had a 30-0 lead before the Steelers got a field goal.
“You have to play four quarters of football against the Pittsburgh Steelers,” he said. “If you let up, shame on us. You can’t. Whatever your mindset is, you better be ready for four hard quarters of football. That is traditional Pittsburgh Steelers football. It’s important that we prepare ourselves that way.”
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