Steelers Fumble Away Victory As Chiefs Score 26 Points In Final 2:30 To Stun Pittsburgh
It wasn't the final score of the game, but it was the one that gave the Chiefs the lead after an improbable chain of events.

ScoringSummary
| Team | Q | Time | Play | Kansas City | Pittsburgh |
 | 1st | 9:43 | Zachariah Branch, 38 Yd Pass From Anthony Richardson | 0 | 7 |
 | 1st | 6:05 | Chris Boswell, 48 Yd FG | 0 | 10 |
 | 1st | 3:27 | Xavier Worthy, 18 Yd Pass From Patrick Mahomes | 7 | 10 |
 | 2nd | 3:20 | Harrison Butker, 30 Yd FG | 10 | 10 |
 | 2nd | 0:57 | Kaleb Johnson, 7 Yd Run | 10 | 17 |
 | 3rd | 3:43 | Calvin Austin, 21 Yd Pass From Anthony Richardson | 10 | 24 |
 | 3rd | 0:00 | Harrison Butker, 24 Yd FG | 13 | 24 |
 | 4th | 2:19 | Tyler Lockett, 8 Yd Pass From Patrick Mahomes (Failed 2PT) | 19 | 24 |
 | 4th | 2:08 | Calvin Austin, Returned Kickoff 97 Yds | 19 | 31 |
 | 4th | 1:57 | Xavier Worthy, 73 Yd Pass From Patrick Mahomes | 26 | 31 |
 | 4th | 0:51 | Travis Kelce, 4 Yd Pass From Patrick Mahomes (Failed 2PT | 32 | 31 |
 | 4th | 0:37 | Isiah Pacheco, 16 Yd Pass From Patrick Mahomes | 39 | 31 |
Pittsburgh, PA. - The Pittsburgh Steelers let a golden opportunity slip through their fingers, blowing a 24–10 lead midway through the third quarter and collapsing in spectacular fashion as the Kansas City Chiefs poured in 26 points over the final 2:30 to shock a stunned Acrisure Stadium crowd. And in the most painful twist of all: once Kansas City jumped ahead, Anthony Richardson never touched the ball again.
Pittsburgh opened the afternoon with a jolt. Patrick Mahomes’ first pass sailed into the waiting arms of Jalen Ramsey after a miscommunication with Tyler Lockett, and Richardson immediately cashed it in with a 38 yard strike to standout rookie Zachariah Branch.
The Chiefs eventually clawed back to tie the score, but Pittsburgh regained control before halftime on a seven yard run by Kaleb Johnson. Receiving the ball to open the second half, the Steelers then executed a methodical, clock-choking march that consumed nearly the entire third quarter, ending with Calvin Austin’s 21 yard touchdown and a 24–10 lead with 3:43 left in the frame.
But if modern NFL history has taught anyone anything, it’s this: the Kansas City Chiefs are never out of a game.
KC closed the third with a quick field goal to pull within 24–13, and Pittsburgh appeared poised to deliver a knockout blow with another long drive deep into Chiefs territory. Instead, disaster struck. Richardson threw a red zone interception trying to stretch the lead to three scores, giving Kansas City the ball at its own three with 4:11 remaining.
Two minutes later, the Chiefs had raced the length of the field, highlighted by a 40 yard catch from Travis Kelce, before Mahomes found Lockett in the end zone. The two point try failed, and for a moment, it looked as though the Steelers had closed the door anyway. Calvin Austin’s electric 97 yard kickoff return restored a 31–19 advantage and sent Acrisure into a frenzy.
“In hindsight, you’d like him not to score there,” Mike Tomlin admitted. “Emotions are running high. You’re not going to scold a guy for putting points on the board. You can’t predict how it unfolds, but even 30 more seconds off the clock could’ve changed things.”
Instead, Mahomes needed one play to fire back, a 73 yard bomb to Xavier Worthy, who beat Jalen Ramsey clean down the sideline. Still with 2:06 left and MVP candidate Anthony Richardson, the feeling on the Steelers sideline was AR15 would be able to do enough to escape with the win.
He never got the chance.
KaVontae Turpin returned the ensuing kickoff 33 yards before a violent hit jarred the ball loose. Kansas City took the lead moments later on a four-yard Mahomes-to-Kelce strike.
Now trailing 32-31, it was surely going to be Anthony Richardson's time to cement his MVP status with a game winning drive against Mahomes, right?
Wrong.
Turpin fumbled the next kickoff as well.
With under a minute to play, Tomlin confirmed he instructed his defense to let the Chiefs score on the next snap.
“Unless they hit a two pointer, it’s still a one score game,” Tomlin said. “Better to take our chance with time than let the clock die.”
Isiah Pacheco obliged, walking in untouched but the strategy became irrelevant.
Turpin fumbled the third consecutive kickoff.
And with that, one of the most excruciating losses in recent Steelers memory was sealed.
The defeat turns Week 17 against Cleveland into a must win. If Pittsburgh loses and Kansas City beats Arizona, the Chiefs will leapfrog the Steelers for the AFC’s No. 1 seed — nearly mirroring last season’s brutal finish, when Pittsburgh dropped the finale 42–14 to Baltimore and tumbled from the top seed to sixth.
The Steelers must now regroup quickly. Their margin for error is gone.

Anthony Richardson Sr | 18/25, 213 Yds, 2 TD, INT; 3 Att, 19 Yds

Patrick Mahomes | 32/41, 489 Yds, 5 TD, INT

Jaylen Warren | 11 Att, 57 Yds

Isiah Pacheco | 7 Att, 12 Yds

Calvin Austin | 7 Rec, 89 Yds, TD

Xavier Worthy | 6 Rec, 163 Yds, 2 TD

CB Jalen Ramsey | 6 Tkl, TFL, INT

SS DeShon Elliott | 8 Tkl, TFL, Sack

DT Da'Shawn Hand | 2 Tkl, 2 TFL, Sack

MLB Nick Bolton | 8 Tkl

EDGE Ashton Gillotte | Tkl, TFL, Sack

CB Trent McDuffie | 5 Tkl, INT
NFL Week Seventeen Scoreboard
10 Carolina (5-11) @
Cleveland (9-7) 31
22 New York (N) (9-7) @
Dallas (7-9) 26
31 Las Vegas (10-6) @ New York (A) (5-11) 21
37 Arizona @ Chicago (6-10) 14
24 Baltimore (10-6) @ Atlanta (7-9) 18
34 Cincinnati (6-10) @ Tennessee (3-13) 16
20 Indianapolis (11-5) @ Houston (7-9) 14
27 Seattle (7-9) @ Buffalo (11-5) 10
14 Minnesota (5-11) @
Washington (6-10) 24
27 Denver (6-10) @ Los Angeles (N) (3-13) 14
20 Detroit (11-5) @ New England (10-6) 13
7 New Orleans (5-11) @
San Francisco (8-8) 31
24 Philadelphia (13-3) @ Jacksonville (9-7) 14
17 Tampa Bay (7-9) @
Green Bay (11-5) 24
21 Los Angeles (A) (9-7) @ Miami (9-7) 14