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POLAMALU RULED OUT
November 20th – 2:27 PM

The Chiefs haven’t officially ruled out any players for this Sunday’s game, however four players are listed as doubtful meaning they have less than a 25% chance of playing. The Steelers are generally more healthy than the Chiefs, but have ruled out one of their defensive leaders as well as one other player.

Sunday’s injury designations…

Kansas City:
G Andy Alleman (knee) - Doubtful
LB Justin Rogers (thigh) - Doubtful
RB Dantrell Savage (ankle) - Doubtful
LB Mike Vrabel (knee) - Doubtful
LB David Herron (knee) - Probable

Pittsburgh:
DE Travis Kirschke (calf) - Out
S Troy Polamalu (knee) - Out
RB Carey Havis (hamstring) - Probable

STUDEBAKER IN LINE TO START
November 20th – 12:34 PM

Just two weeks ago the Chiefs saw S DaJuan Morgan make his first career start. This Sunday, it appears LB Andy Studebaker will join that club as well. With LB Mike Vrabel (knee) doubtful to play against Pittsburgh, Studebaker took all practice reps this week. He is backed up by LB Justin Rogers, who is also banged up (thigh).

Studebaker played the majority of the second half last weekend in Oakland after Vrabel bowed out to injury. During Studebaker’s time on the field he made several nice plays including four tackles and a pass breakup while he helped the defense pitch a second-half shutout. He also looked a bit raw at times as well.

“When he got the opportunity when Mike went down I thought that he wasn’t perfect, but with that being said, for his first real action it did not appear to big for him,” Haley said. “He knew what to do, he did it, he made some plays, he attacked it and I think that those are all good signs. He had a good week of practice and I think that he’s very excited to get the opportunity to play a bit more.“

Studebaker’s action last Sunday was just his second time getting defensive snaps this season. The other action came during a two-play stint at Philadelphia. Vrabel essentially played every defensive snap this season up until his injury in Oakland and, with Studebaker’s primary back-up also nicked up, the second-year player from NCAA Division III Wheaton College will likely be counted on to play each and every defensive snap on Sunday.

“It feels good to get into the game,” Studebaker said. “You never like to see injuries happen and that kind of thing. I’m just looking forward to executing my role on the defense and preparing this whole week to get the job done on Sunday.”

FRIDAY PRACTICE REPORT
November 20th – 11:07 AM

Good news did not come out from the Chiefs indoor practice this morning. LB Mike Vrabel (knee), G Andy Alleman (knee) and RB Dantrell Savage (ankle) missed their third-consecutive day of work this afternoon. Alleman and Savage seem to have the most movement, but neither of the three players seem likely to play this Sunday. Official injury designations will be available later this afternoon.

LB Justin Rogers (thigh) joined the injury report yesterday after a practice injury and it appears he too won’t go on Sunday as he joined the trio listed above on the sidelines for Friday’s practice. LB Pierre Walters was a surprise activation last week in place of Rogers on special teams, but with LB David Herron participating in back-to-back practices Walters may find himself inactive once again this Sunday.

Three tight ends worked with the first-team offense today - Leonard Pope, Brad Cottam and Sean Ryan. With Pittsburgh’s blitzing defense, Todd Haley may wish to have all three active this weekend due to blocking insurance. Pope is the starter, what happens between Cottam and Ryan will be something to watch leading up to kickoff.

BUCKLE UP!
November 20th – 6:11 AM

Buckle up those chinstraps, there is going to be some serious hitting at Arrowhead on Sunday.

Win, lose or draw, one thing is always consistent when the Pittsburgh Steelers line up across the line of scrimmage. They are going to hit. Last weekend was no exception as the Steelers had Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis in awe on the opposite sideline.

“It was a grinding football game,” Lewis said after his Bengals beat Pittsburgh 18-12 last Sunday. “Probably the most physical, grinding football game I’ve ever been on the sideline to experience.”

Those are some bold words from a man who has seen some serious football over his coaching career. Keep in mind that Lewis is a defensive specialist, who actually oversaw possibly the greatest defensive unit in modern football history – the Super Bowl XXV Champion Baltimore Ravens. Lewis certainly knows defense and Lewis has certainly seen what hitting is supposed to look like.

The show that Lewis witnessed a week ago in the Steel City is on its way to Kansas City this Sunday for the first time since 2006. If you’re a fan of tough, grinding, defensive football; if you’re one of the people who watches games and says “that’s the way defense ought to be played;” if you’re simply a fan of football in the Kansas City area, then Arrowhead is the place to be this Sunday.

If you’re a Chiefs fan…which I know you are…then you also know what challenges lay ahead for your favorite team this weekend as well.

“I would say one of the toughest,” Haley said when asked to describe the Steelers defense. “There are a few up there. But consistently Pittsburgh is a physical matchup and they’re that way from start to finish and it’s something that you must be prepared for.”

The Steelers always seem to be a team that makes opponents think twice about crossing the middle clear back to the days of the “Steel Curtain” when players like “Mean” Joe Green, L.C. Greenwood, Mel Blount, Jack Lambert and Jack Ham roamed the defensive grounds. The “Steel Curtain” defense was epic, and it was the heart of the Steelers 1970’s dynasty that won four Lombardi Trophies (IX, X, XIII and XIV).

Once the “Steel Curtain” was lifted, “Blitzburgh” quickly took its place, led by longtime Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. LeBeau and his original zone blitz packages out of the 3-4 defense still live today and have evolved across the league. He returned to Pittsburgh after a seven-year absence in 2004 to bring ‘Blitzburgh” back to life once more.

“They’re well coached, very solid, rarely expose themselves, so to speak,” Haley said. “They do a tremendous, tremendous job of making it appear like they’re bringing more than are actually coming. They’re able to stay sound on the back end while still creating pressure and giving you problems up front.

“Other than being a physical group that hustles from start to finish and that plays fast, I think they do a great job of making it appear like more are pressuring than are actually coming,” Haley continued. “You think seven or eight are coming and sometimes it’s just four and you’re not able to realize it fast enough.”

The last time the Chiefs experienced LeBeau and his “Blitzburgh” defense, they were at Heinz Field. That day, October 15th, 2006, was anything but kind to the Chiefs offense. Kansas City was limited to 213 total yards and averaged just 2.0 yards per carry on 19 rushing attempts. Chiefs QBs Damon Huard and Brodie Croyle combined that day to go 19-for-39 passing with 185 yards and three INTs, good for a QB rating of 30.4. The final score? A cool 45-7 Steelers romp.

It’s no secret that the Chiefs have struggled in recent times, while the Steelers have thrived, but that game occurred during the last Chiefs playoff season – a 9-7 wild card year. It’s just what the Steelers have been able to consistently do over the years to opposing offenses, regardless of the opponents’ place in the standings. Just ask Chiefs QB Matt Cassel.

“As a QB, this is definitely one of the toughest teams that you have to prepare for because of all the looks and the different personnel groups,” Cassel said. “You really just have to hone in and concentrate and everybody has to be on their game in order to beat this team. From an offensive standpoint you have to make big plays, like I said, you have to be able to take advantage of those opportunities.”

Cassel has faced the Steelers once before as a starter. A year ago, Cassel had run off an impressive run as the Patriots starter, but he ran into a brick wall when Pittsburgh came to Foxboro.

The Steelers ran away with a 33-10 road victory as they limited New England’s high-octane offense to 267 total yards and an 8% conversion percentage on third down. Cassel was picked off two times and sacked five. He finished the day with an eerily similar stat line as when Huard/Croyle posted in the last Chiefs/Steelers meeting - 19-for-39 passing with 169 yards and a final rating of 39.4.

What’s Cassel’s line of thinking this time around?

“You don’t prepare differently,” Cassel said. “You just work, you put together a game plan and you try and execute that game plan and try to get the ball out as quickly as you can and try to eliminate the sacks.”

Sacks are something that the Chiefs must control on Sunday to be successful. The Chiefs offense ranks 31st in the league yielding 32 sacks on the year, while the Steelers defense has notched 25 sacks to place among the league’s top-five in that category. We could go on and on about where Pittsburgh excels defensively, and that’s just one side of the ball.

The bottom line is that there is a challenge coming to Arrowhead on Sunday. The test isn’t insurmountable, but it will require the Chiefs to play at the very top of their game.

“This is a great challenge for us,” Haley said. “As a young team and a new team that’s trying to find our way and find our identity we’ve had some great tests early on. But I think we’re a little further along together in this process.”

The Chiefs will have a chance to prove how far they’ve come in 48 hours.