Unfortunately for the Kansas City Chiefs, the Pittsburgh Steelers defense is not as old as everyone says it is and not declining as everyone says they should be. They're still a top 10 defense and play a scheme that it seems no one has been able to beat consistently in the last four decades.
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They're good, in other words. Really good. So when I asked Neal Coolong from SB Nation's Behind The Steel Curtainto tell me something about the Steelers defense I don't know, he noted that they're still damn good.
The sum of its whole is far more than the sum of its parts. Most analysts will break defenses down player by player, and I don't think you can do that on the defensive side of the ball. They're playing great team defense even without an abundance of splash plays (sacks, forced fumbles, interceptions).
Most of what you'll hear is in regards to the lack of those splash stats or their age, but you don't hear about how they held the Giants (an outstanding offensive team) to 182 yards. The Steelers defense is tackling well, playing in an outstanding zone coverage scheme and they're not allowing big plays or runs after the catch.
Sounds sorta like how the Chiefs would ideally see their defense play.
The Chiefs offense needs the opposing defenses to make mistakes. The Chiefs aren't going to impose anything on another defense. They need them to screw up. That's why this is a tough game for the Chiefs -- the Steelers don't have a lot of off games and that's what it would take for the Chiefs to stay competitive in this game.