With the playoffs on the line, the Steelers need Heinz Field to be a-rockin’ when the Chiefs come a-knockin’.
As Pittsburgh prepares to host Kansas City in a venue that typically provides a strong home-field advantage, the Steelers hope to avoid a repeat of ugly home losses to the Buccaneers and the Saints. To keep that from happening, the team wants the fans to make plenty of noise happen.
The team’s official website has collected various player quotes regarding the importance of fans getting loud and staying loud in the final two games of the regular season.
“We just need the Terrible Towels going crazy,” cornerback William Gay said. “Hopefully we make them wave their arms all game. I need it to be rocking. Sometimes you see Heinz Field kind of shaking and that’s what we need this week.”
“We took care of our business on the road the last two weeks and now to go into these next two games with our fans behind us it’s going to give us so much more of a boost,” tackle Marcus Gilbert said. “The stadium is going to be rocking this week. We are excited to play in front of the great fans we have. The teams we are playing are in the hunt along with us. It’s going to be a playoff atmosphere. It’s going to be alive. I expect to see the stadium rocking on Sunday.”
The Steelers have won four of six homes games this season. Two of the wins came three points and seven. The other two were blowouts fueled by six-touchdown/no-pick performances from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Wins on Sunday against the Chiefs and next Sunday against the Bengals will propel the Steelers to a division crown that few predicted. The fans realize that. Which means they’ll be loud. Unless of course the Week 17 game is flexed to Sunday night.