Tim Benz: How confident are Chiefs fans for another blowout of the Steelers? Probably too much for Andy Reid's liking

Exactly how confident are fans of the Kansas City Chiefs as their team (12-5) prepares to host the Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7-1) in Sunday night’s AFC playoff game?

Well, Soren Petro hosts a talk show in Kansas City on Sports Radio 810 WHB. He joined me for Thursday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast and relayed this example.

“They are literally looking for where to put the tombstone on the Steelers,” Petro said. “I had one fan call and ask me, ‘Should the Chiefs just sit all of their (starters). And if Pittsburgh can hang around, do they then put them into the game?’ The quote was, ‘Treat it like it was a bye week.’ From the fan base, there is zero expectation that the Chiefs will be challenged in this game.”

To be clear, that’s not what Petro is saying. That’s what the fans are saying. And it’s pretty obvious that Andy Reid wants to guard against his team believing any of it.

When the Chiefs head coach joined a conference call with members of the Pittsburgh media Wednesday, he made out this edition of the Black and Gold to be akin to the 1978 team.

“These guys are playing like a No.1 seed right now,” Reid said of the Steelers. “We have to be ready for that.”

A No. 1 seed? What?! Really, Andy? Why? Because they beat the Browns and Ravens the last two weeks? Two banged-up, slumping division rivals?

How many No. 1 seeds tie the Detroit Lions? Or trail in the second half 10 times in 11 weeks? Or fail to convert turnovers into points as the Steelers did last Sunday? Or finish last in the NFL in rush defense? Or have a kick-returner as their No. 2 receiver?

This team has the look of a No. 1 seed to you? C’mon. I appreciate a hard sell and have heard some good ol’ fashioned coach-speak. But now you are just being silly.

Hyperbole aside, it’s not hard to figure out why Reid is pumping up the Steelers so much. He’s doing whatever he possibly can to guard against overconfidence in his locker room.

Related stories

Tim Benz: Feeling uncomfortable with Mike Tomlin’s level of comfort about Steelers

Chiefs’ Andy Reid heaps praise on 9-7-1 Steelers, saying they are playing like ‘No. 1 seed’

Ben Roethlisberger on Steelers’ playoff chances: ‘Have fun and see what happens’

Could you blame the Chiefs if they were guilty of it after K.C. won a regular-season matchup between the two organizations 36-10? Frankly, the game wasn’t even that close. Plus, the Chiefs put up that score with tight end Travis Kelce on the covid-19 list and receiver Tyreek Hill a bit compromised having just come off of it.

So Reid probably feels like he should go above and beyond the norm to tamp down expectations of the playoff sequel going the same way.

“You have to erase that game and just move forward,” Reid said. “In this league, we have all had games where things weren’t quite working right. And the other team, … it does work right. So, if you have a chance to play that team again, you have to start from scratch. Especially if the team is playing so well.”

Again, I’d question exactly how “well” the Steelers played the last two weeks. What they did was play well enough to beat two fading rivals and get some help from the Jacksonville Jaguars and the kicker from the Las Vegas Raiders.

To that end, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is trying to play up the emotional angle in his locker room, too. He’s singing the “nobody is giving us a chance” tune in the same way his former teammate Hines Ward used to belt it out.

I once remember Ward in a victorious postgame locker room using that “nobody gave us a chance” line on a day when they entered the game as a 6-point favorite at home.

Roethlisberger’s timing for that message was a little more on point Wednesday morning.

“I would assume as a group you understand that we probably aren’t supposed to be here,” Roethlisberger said. “We probably are not a very good football team. Out of 14 teams that are in, we’re probably at No. 14. We’re double-digit underdogs in the playoffs. So, let’s just go play and have fun and see what happens.”

Twelve-and-a-half point underdogs, to be precise. That’s the biggest margin in wild-card round history. So, if Ward was still around the Steelers, now he may actually be telling the truth. Nobody is giving them a chance.

Well, except for Reid of course.

Sorry, Steelers fans. I see this game going very much the same way as the first matchup between the teams. Reid isn’t going to like this. I’ve got a slightly smaller margin this time (23 points as opposed to 26), but perhaps an uglier-looking score, 40-17. Chiefs win.

However, I’d still advise against Kansas City resting its starters. That may be a slightly presumptuous.

Slightly.

In Wednesday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast, Tim Benz and Soren Petro talk about fan confidence levels in Kansas City, matchup angles the Steelers may be able to exploit and K.C.’s biggest threats in the AFC playoff bracket.

Listen: Tim Benz and Soren Petro preview the Steelers-Chiefs Wild Card matchup