Steelers 45, Chiefs 7

Perfection is a goal, not a residence. God tells us to strive for perfection even as he knows full well it is impossible to attain. He does this because it builds character in us. No matter what the circumstances might be, It is vital for us to always give our all, because God can only truly bless in the face of maximum effort. The Steelers chose to wait until the conventional wisdom of the NFL broke out their collective shovels and prepared to bury the Steelers under a pile of cliches, Super Bowl Hangover and the like.

What we witnessed on Sunday was a clear announcement that the rumors of the Steeler demise in 2006 are greatly exaggerated. The Kansas Chiefs are a good football team, even without their starting quarterback. They did not make an excessive number of mistakes, in fact, they did not turn the ball over at all. The Chiefs showed up at Heinz Field with an average effort against a Championship team playing with intensity and got embarrassed.

The Steelers have received the best effort of each team they played this year, from the Dolphins to the Jaguars to the Bengals to the Chargers. The good teams won because they wanted the game more than the Steeelers and they were inspired by the pedigree of their opponent. The Dolphins, as time has revealed, are simply a team lacking in many areas and their best wasn't good enough. The Jags, Bengals and Chargers are playoff caliber teams and an average effort from the Steelers wasn't enough to overcome their pursuit of excellence. On October 15, 2006, the Steelers could have handily beaten ANY team in the NFL with the effort they showed on the field against the Chiefs. This is underscored by the fact that Kendall Simmons and Joey Porter did not even dress for the game. Special mention goes to Chris Kemoeatu and Arnold Harrison who were especially noteworthy when pressed into starting duty. The game was reminiscent of the run that ended in Jerome Bettis hoisting the Super Bowl XL trophy. Hopefully, this will be the effort that we see from the Steelers week in and week out.