Grading the Steelers:

Jack McCurry, who is in his 26th season as the head coach at North Hills High School. His teams have won four WPIAL titles.

Grading the Chiefs:

Ron Wabby, who is in his 22nd season as the head coach at Brashear High School. His teams have won five City League championships.

Offense: C -

It was supposed to be a matchup of high-powered offenses, but four turnovers turned it into a mismatch. The inability to generate a ground game quickly turned a 17-7 lead in to a 41-20 deficit. Remember, when you can't run, can't protect the quarterback and can't keep possession of the football, you can't win. That's always a formula for failure.

Offense: A

A football game is divided into three parts, offense, defense and special teams. Kansas City won all three. After starting out by throwing an interception for a touchdown, Kansas City showed why it is labeled the 'Greatest Show on Turf.' The running of Priest Holmes and the passing of Trent Green kept the Steelers on their heels most of the game.

Defense: D +

Chad Scott returned an interception for a touchdown and James Farrior set up another score by picking off a pass. So, what went wrong? That's easy. It couldn't contain Priest Holmes and could not put pressure on Trent Green. The Holmes-Green combination made the defense look ordinary, and without Joey Porter, maybe it is.

Defense: A

After giving up two long passes early, the defense rose to the occasion. The Chiefs held the Steelers' running game to just 50 yards and controlled the line of scrimmage, sacking Tommy Maddox four times and knocking him down another six times. The Chiefs had three interceptions, one for a score by Jeremy Wood and other in the end zone that halted a Steelers' drive. The defense bent but didn't break.

Special Teams: D

Jeff Reed's two field goals, especially the 50-yarder at the end of the first half gave the Steelers a glimmer of hope. But the subpar kick coverage eliminated any hope of a victory. Dante Hall's kick and punt returns were disastrous, so why punt the ball to him? Sometime it doesn't pay to be macho.

Special Teams: A

They certainly did their part with a 100-yard kick return by Dante Hall and a 45-yard punt return by Hall to set up another score. The only negative was a missed extra point by the ageless one, Morten Andersen.

Coaching: C

The Steelers came out strong and ready to play, so what happened? Turnovers, special teams errors and a potent Kansas City offense that's what. The inability to run the ball, especially near the goal line, hurt scoring opportunities. So did the vanishing act of Jay Riemersma and the other tight ends. The defensive game plan that didn't include a blitz package was ineffective.

Coaching: A

The game plan was simple: Outscore the Steelers on offense, stop the Steelers' running game and put plenty of pressure on Tommy Maddox when he's passing. Returning a kick for a score helped seal the victory.

Team Score: 72

Team Score: 94

Key

100-95

Super Bowl performance

94-90

Division title contenders

89-80

Wild Card possibility

79-70

Shooting for high draft picks in 2004

69-less

Check waiver wire