The Chiefs advanced to the divisional round of the AFC playoffs by beating the Steelers 42-21 on Sunday night in the wild-card round.
Patrick Mahomes threw for five touchdowns and finished with 404 yards on 30-of-39 passing. The Chiefs’ sixth touchdown came on a pass by tight end Travis Kelce. It was just the third time a tight end had thrown a touchdown pass in the NFL playoffs. Kelce also became the first tight end in NFL history to have four consecutive games of 100 or more receiving yards in the playoffs.
Ben Roethlisberger’s 18-year career is likely over after the loss. The 39-year-old quarterback is expected to retire after this season. He finished with 215 yards and two touchdowns passing. The Steelers’ third touchdown came from Defensive Player of the Year hopeful T.J. Watt, who recovered a fumble in the second quarter and returned it xx yards for the score. It was the first touchdown of his NFL career.
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Running back Jerick McKinnon, who had a much larger role in the Chiefs’ offense with Clyde Edwards-Helaire out for a third consecutive game, finished with 61 rushing yards, 81 receiving yards and a touchdown.
The No. 2-seed Chiefs will host the No. 3-seed Bills in the divisional round Sunday at 6:40 p.m. ET.
Sporting News tracked live scoring updates and highlights from Steelers vs. Chiefs on Sunday. Read below for complete results from the 2022 NFL wild-card playoff game.
MORE: Watch NFL games live with fuboTV (free trial)
Steelers vs. Chiefs score
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | F | |
| Chiefs | 0 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
| Steelers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
Steelers vs. Chiefs live updates, highlights from NFL playoffs
(All times Eastern)
End of fourth quarter: Chiefs 42, Steelers 21
11:16 p.m. — The game almost ends with a Steelers touchdown, but Zach Gentry was three yards short.
11:08 p.m. — Johnson gives the Steelers their second first down of the drive as the clock nears the two-minute warning. They are on their own 45-yard line.
11:02 p.m. — Watt sacks Mahomes on third down for a loss of 14 yards. This causes the Chiefs to punt for the first time since the end of the first quarter.
10:51 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN, STEELERS. Washington catches a 15-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger. Chiefs 42, Steelers 21.
10:51 p.m. — The Steelers have their second successful fourth down attempt on this drive, this time with Johnson catching a five-yard pass.
10:45 p.m. — L’Jarius Sneed intercepted Roethlisberger, but the play was called back after a roughing the passer penalty was called on Alex Okafor. The Steelers get an automatic first down and advance 15 yards.
10:42 p.m. — Benny Snell Jr. snuck in the first down on the Steelers’ fourth down attempt. This puts the Steelers on their own 42-yard line.
10:36 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN, CHIEFS. Kelce receives the direct snap and then tosses the ball the Pringle, who then runs the ball into the end zone. The Chiefs extend their lead to open up the final quarter. Chiefs 42, Steelers 14.
End of third quarter: Chiefes 35, Steelers 14
10:30 p.m. — Hardman catches a long pass from Mahomes, then runs for a total gain of 41 yards. It could’ve been a touchdown, but Hardman tripped around the 14-yard line.
10:29 p.m. — Pringle keeps the Chiefs drive alive with a 15-yard first down.
10:23 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN, STEELERS. Johnson catches a 13-yard touchdown pass to give the Steelers their first points in the second half. Their drive lasted around five minutes and they went 75 yards. Chiefs 35, Steelers 14.
10:23 p.m. — James Washington catches his first ball of the night, which is a tricky 22-yard pass from Roethlisberger. The Steelers are on the Chiefs’ 13-yard line.
10:19 p.m. — Chase Claypool makes his best catch of the night, catching a 16-yard pass from Roethlisberger for a much-needed first down.
10:13 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN, CHIEFS. Hill scores his a 31-yard touchdown on the Chiefs’ second play of their drive. Chiefs 35, Steelers 7.
10:11 p.m. — FUMBLE, STEELERS. Najee Harris loses control of the ball after being tackled by Willie Gay. Frank Clark recovered the ball on the Steelers’ 29-yard line.
10:08 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN, CHIEFS. Guard Nick Allegretti catches the one-yard pass from Mahomes for a Chiefs touchdown. The Chiefs have now scored 28 points without the Steelers putting any additional points on the board. Chiefs 28, Steelers 7.
10:03 p.m. — Hill was inches short of a touchdown. It was originally called a touchdown, but after review, the call was overturned. The Chiefs are now set up for 3rd-&-Goal.
10:02 p.m. — McKinnon continues to have a good night after completing a 23-yard first down to set the Chiefs up for a 1st-&-Goal on the Steelers’ 5-yard line.
PLAYOFF MCKINNON IS JUST DIFFERENT.
— KC Sports Report (@KCSportsReport) January 17, 2022
10:00 p.m. — Robinson catches a short pass from Mahomes and runs to complete a 29-yard first down.
9:58 p.m. — McKinnon opens up the second half with a 12-yard first down for the Chiefs.
End of second quarter: Chiefs 21, Steelers 7
9:41 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN, CHIEFS. Kelce catches a deep pass from Mahomes and takes the ball into the end zone for a 48-yard play. The Chiefs take a two-score lead heading into the half. Chiefs 21, Steelers 7.
9:39 p.m. — Alex Highsmith sacks Mahomes for a loss of 10 yards. This moves the Chiefs to a 2nd-&-20 play.
9:38 p.m. — Robinson catches a 27-yard pass from Mahomes to put the Chiefs near field goal range with 35 seconds remaining in the half.
9:35 p.m. — The Steelers go three-and-out and punt the ball for the seventh time tonight.
9:30 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN, CHIEFS. Byron Pringle catches a 12-yard pass from Mahomes in the end zone to put the Chiefs on top. Chiefs 14, Steelers 7.
9:28 p.m. — McKinnon made back-to-back gains for the Chiefs. His first run was for 15 yards and the second was for 13 yards.
9:24 p.m. — Kelce caught a short pass from Mahomes and ran to advance 31 yards for a big Chiefs first down. They are on the Steelers 43-yard line.
9:20 p.m. — The Steelers have no answer to the Chiefs touchdown after they go three-and-out again.
9:14 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN, CHIEFS. McKinnon rushed in a four-yard touchdown to put the Chiefs on the board. Harrison Butker’s extra point is good to tie the game. Chiefs 7, Steelers 7.
9:12 p.m. — Mahomes runs for 23 yards all the way to the Steelers’ 22-yard line.
9:09 p.m. — Tyreek Hill advances 20 yards for the biggest catch of the night so far.
9:04 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN, STEELERS. Darrel Williams fumbled the ball on the Chiefs’ 31-yard line, and the ball was picked up by Watt. Watt ran the ball into the end zone to put the Steelers on the board. Steelers 7, Chiefs 0.
9:04 p.m. — Watt was flagged for a face mask penalty on Chiefs running back Derrick Gore. This penalty advanced the Chiefs 15 yards.
8:58 p.m. — Diontae Johnson caught a five-yard pass from Roethlisberger for a Steelers first down. That was only the Steelers’ second first down of the game.
End of first quarter: Chiefs 0, Steelers 0
8:53 p.m. — The Chiefs punt the ball right as the first quarter comes to an end.
8:50 p.m. — Demarcus Robinson catches a 15-yard pass from Mahomes, making it the longest pass of the night so far.
8:40 p.m. — JuJu Smith-Schuster, making his return after his regular season-ending shoulder injury happened back in Week 5, completed his first first down after advancing seven yards.
8:38 p.m. — INTERCEPTION, STEELERS. On the first play in the Chiefs possession, Devin Bush intercepted a pass intended for Kelce after T.J. Watt blocked the pass. Steelers ball again.
8:37 p.m. — On the punt return, Mecole Hardman ran the ball an additional 48 yards to put the Chiefs on the Steelers’ 22-yard line.
That 48-yard punt return by WR Mecole Hardman is the longest postseason punt return in franchise history.
— Chiefs Communications (@ChiefsPR) January 17, 2022
8:36 p.m. — Tershawn Wharton takes down Ben Roethlisberger on third down for a loss of 11 yards. The Chiefs go three-and-out for the third time.
8:32 p.m. — The Chiefs can’t get another first down, though, so they punt the ball. A pretty uneventful start to the game.
8:29 p.m. — Jerick McKinnon completes the first first down of the night after catching a short pass from Mahomes and advancing 20 yards.
8:26 p.m. — Still no first downs in the game as the Steelers go three-and-out again.
8:20 p.m. — Kansas City also has a quick three-and-out to begin the game. Tre Norwood blocked Patrick Mahomes’ pass to Travis Kelce.
8:18 p.m. — Pittsburgh gets the ball first, but quickly go three-and-out.
Steelers vs. Chiefs start time
- Date: Sunday, Jan. 16
- Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
The Chiefs vs. Steelers game will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
What channel is Steelers vs. Chiefs on today?
- TV channels: NBC
- Live streams: Peacock, fuboTV
The Chiefs vs. Steelers matchup will be broadcast nationally on NBC with announcers Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth on the call and Michele Tafoya on the sidelines.
For those hoping to stream the matchup, NBC will carry the game on its streaming platform, Peacock. You can also stream NFL games live online with fuboTV, which offers a free trial.
In Canada, viewers can watch Chiefs vs. Steelers with a subscription to DAZN, which includes every NFL game .
NFL playoff schedule: Wild-card round
Saturday, Jan. 15
| Bengals 26, Raiders 17 |
| Bills 47, Patriots 17 |
Sunday, Jan. 16
| Buccaneers 31, Eagles 15 |
| 49ers 23, Cowboys 17 |
| Chiefs 42, Steelers 21 |
Monday, Jan. 17
| Matchup | Start time | TV channel |
| Cardinals at Rams | 8:15 p.m. ET | ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 |