Five things we learned from Chiefs 36, Steelers 10:

1. Working OT

With two games left in his rookie season, Najee Harris needs 16 yards to reach 1,000.

Harris also is 72 yards from breaking Franco Harris’ franchise rookie rushing record. Franco Harris gained 1,055 yards in 1972 when the NFL played a 14-game schedule. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry; Najee Harris is averaging 3.7.

Najee Harris continued to pile up the touches against the Chiefs, carrying the ball 19 times and catching five passes. His 335 touches lead the NFL and are two more than Indianapolis Colts workhorse running back Jonathan Taylor, who also happens to lead the league with 1,626 rushing yards.

Harris took advantage of the Chiefs defending the pass in the second half when he gained 64 of his game-high 93 rushing yards. Of his 29 yards rushing in the first half, 21 came on one carry, marking just his second run of 20-plus yards this season.

2. Short on fourth

Harris got the call on fourth-and-1 with the score 23-0, 1 minute, 28 seconds remaining in the first half and the Steelers stationed at their 34.

No surprise Harris would get the ball. What was curious, though, was the play call. Instead of having Harris run up the middle, he took a pitch to the right and was met by a handful of Chiefs players. The result was a 3-yard loss.

The only positive for the Steelers was that Elliott Fry, activated from the practice squad after Harrison Butker was placed on the reserve/covid list, missed a 39-yard field goal.

Fourth-and-short conversions continue to be a problem for the Steelers, who have made a habit of going backward on such occasions.

3. Travis who?

All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce tried to get cleared to play in time for the game but couldn’t pass a covid test. Without him, the Chiefs weren’t exactly short-handed.

Patrick Mahomes simply spread the wealth, throwing passes to 10 targets. Dynamic play-making wide receiver Tyreek Hill was held to two catches for 19 yards, allowing lesser known Chiefs players to pick up the slack. Byron Pringle led with six catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns, and third-string running back Derrick Gore caught a 50-yard pass.

4. Worst first

Not only did the Steelers possess the ball for 10 out of 30 minutes in the first half, they managed six first downs and 109 total yards. Contrast that to the Chiefs, who rang up 255 yards, including 205 passing from Mahomes.

Unlike the Vikings and Chargers, the Chiefs didn’t do anything stupid to let the Steelers back into the game. They continued to work the clock in the third quarter and took advantage of Diontae Johnson’s fumble by getting another touchdown to take a 30-0 lead.

After his big first half, Mahomes attempted just five passes, completing four, before he was lifted with the Chiefs comfortably ahead, 33-3, three minutes into the fourth quarter.

Coach Mike Tomlin mercifully lifted Ben Roethlisberger with 2:15 to play, giving Mason Rudolph a chance to run the hurry-up offense until the final whistle.

5. Missing in inaction

James Washington continues to disappear from the offense while the Steelers try other players as the No. 3 wide receiver.

It stood to reason that Washington’s playing time would increase when JuJu Smith-Schuster was lost to a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 5. But after a three-game stretch in which he played more than half of the snaps, Washington’s role has decreased down the stretch.

Washington played just 31% of the snaps against the Chiefs, and he finished with no catches on two targets. Meanwhile, Ray-Ray McCloud was on the field for 62% of the offensive plays and Cody White, the supposed fifth receiver, logged 39% of the snaps.

McCloud was targeted eight times, the second-highest number on the team, and White caught all three of his targets for 16 yards.

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