Chiefs Roll Steelers

The Kansas City Chiefs put what they hope will be another run deep into the NFL’s postseason into motion and, by all appearances, ushered Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger into retirement.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw five touchdown passes as the Chiefs beat the Steelers, 42-21, on Sunday night at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., in an opening-round AFC playoff encounter that almost certainly was Roethlisberger’s final NFL game.

“I’m nervous,” Roethlisberger said. “No, I am excited just because I get to go home tonight…. Being a husband and father, you never take a day off. You’ve got to keep going. And so as we move from one chapter to the next, it’s going to be different. But it’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a new challenge and I’m looking forward to it.”

Roethlisberger did not exactly make an official retirement announcement during his postgame news conference. But he essentially said that he was done playing.

“This would be emotional no matter what,” Roethlisberger said. “We never like to lose and go out, and I’ll miss these guys. It’ll probably really hit me come training camp time.”

The second-seeded Chiefs advanced to a conference semifinal next weekend in which they’ll host the third-seeded Buffalo Bills. That’s a rematch of last season’s AFC championship game won by the Chiefs. The Chiefs, after a bumpier-than-usual ride through the regular season, are attempting to reach a fourth straight AFC championship game and a third consecutive Super Bowl.

Mahomes threw for 404 yards in a 30-for-39 passing display Sunday. His touchdowns went to five different receivers and came on five straight possessions in the second and third quarters, as he and the Chiefs overcame a sluggish and sloppy start. The Chiefs got a sixth touchdown pass, thrown by tight end Travis Kelce on a fourth-quarter gadget play.

“We came back with energy,” Mahomes told NBC afterward. “That first quarter, we were playing tentative. It started with me. I think when we got to that second quarter, we kind of got back to who we are. And hopefully we can keep this momentum going to next week.”

Roethlisberger and the seventh-seeded Steelers could not come close to keeping pace. Roethlisberger threw for a modest 215 yards on 29-for-44 passing. He did throw cosmetic second-half touchdown passes to wide receivers Diontae Johnson and James Washington.

“It’s tough,” Roethlisberger said. “But I’m proud to play with these guys…. It has been just truly a blessing.”