Few NFL defensive coordinators get as much respect from opposing teams as Kansas City's Steve Spagnuolo.
For good reason. Spagnuolo has now coordinated the defenses for four Super Bowl winners, three with the Chiefs and one with the New York Giants. And this season, the Chiefs (14-1) have relied more on their defense to win games than perhaps at any other time in the Patrick Mahomes-Andy Reid era, as Kansas City is holding opponents to 18.5 points per game, third-fewest in the NFL.
But the Steelers might have something of an ace up their sleeve this season when it comes to facing the Chiefs. Quarterback Russell Wilson has squared off against a Spagnuolo-led defense five previous times in his career. And while Wilson's record is just 2-3 in those games, he's completed 101 of 154 passes for 1,012 yards with 11 touchdown passes and four interceptions, posting a passer rating of 97.1.
Wilson understanding Spagnuolo's exotic pressure looks could be the key to the Steelers (10-5) beating the Chiefs when the two meet Wednesday at Acrisure Stadium in a Christmas Day game.
"I think 'Spags' is one of the all-time great defensive coordinators," said Wilson. "You think about the things he's been able to do. I have so much regard for him. I've gone against him a lot (over) the years. And I remember even when I was in Seattle and went against him, we played the Chiefs and all that. He just does a really good job of mixing it up and challenging the defense to blitz us a lot and to do different things.
"So, it makes it really challenging for us as an offense, and we've got to do our job."
The Steelers need to win their final two games to clinch the AFC North title and guarantee themselves an additional home game in the playoffs.
They also want to wash away the stench of back-to-back losses on the road the past two games in Philadelphia and Baltimore.
Facing Spagnuolo's defense won't make that an easy task. But getting top wide receiver George Pickens back from injury would help that immensely.
Pickens has missed the Steelers' past three games with a hamstring injury, but was a full participant in practice on Monday, the team's final full practice before Wednesday's game.
"Obviously he's been our leading wideout; been one the better wideouts around the league the whole season," said offensive coordinator Arthur Smith of Pickens, who leads the Steelers with 55 receptions for 850 yards. "That certainly helps. You want your best guys out there if they're available, and so if he can go, it would be nice to have him back."
Beyond simply having one of the NFL's top deep threats back, having Pickens on the field against the Chiefs might greatly affect how much blitzing Spagnuolo calls. The Chiefs blitz on nearly 31 percent of plays, second only to the Vikings this season.
Kansas City will put a bunch of players at the line of scrimmage and make the quarterback decided who is coming and who is not. But having Pickens, one of the best contested-catch players in the league, available might dissuade the Chiefs from attacking quite as much in that fashion.
"George is a special player, man. He's been special for us all year," Wilson said. "In my opinion, he's one of the best receivers in the National Football League, without a doubt. The things that he can do with the football, his catching radius is remarkable. So I think the best thing that he brings is he strikes fear in the defense."
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Wilson also has been very good when blitzed this season. Per Pro Football Focus, he has a 113.3 passer rating when blitzed this season, while his rating when not blitzed is 97.4.
That could be critical for the Steelers in this game, just as much as Wilson's familiarity with playing against the Chiefs in each of the previous two seasons while with the Denver Broncos.
Included in those was a 24-9 win over the Chiefs in which Wilson threw three touchdown passes and no interceptions.
With a short week for both teams before playing, Wilson's knowledge of what Spagnuolo likes to do and how he tries to disguise his looks could be crucial.
"I think you definitely study what you've done," Wilson said. "We beat them last year. I think that I was fortunate to throw a few touchdowns on them, and they're a really good defense. They don't give up much. They do a really good job. They're one of the top defenses in the National Football League, but we've got to be ready to play our best game, and we respect who they are and what they've done. They obviously won two Super Bowls in the last couple years."
