PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said he knew points might be hard to come by against a Kansas City Chiefs defense that is one of the best in the NFL against the pass.

That is why he challenged the Steelers’ defense last week to limit the Chiefs’ scoring in a crucial game for each team.

To say an oft-criticized unit responded would be an understatement.

The Steelers kept the Chiefs out of the end zone Sunday in a 20-12 win at Heinz Field, and that was no small feat considering Kansas City entered the game as one of the NFL's best offensive teams inside opponents’ 20-yard line. The Chiefs had scored touchdowns 67.5 percent of the time they were inside opponents’ 20-yard line, second best in the NFL, entering their game against the Steelers.

They went 0-for-4 in the red zone against the Steelers, settling for three field goals and getting stopped on fourth-and-1 from Pittsburgh’s 12-yard line near the end of the first half.

“Really loved the spirit of the defense,” Tomlin said after the Steelers improved to 10-5.

The Steelers have given up just two touchdowns the last eight times their opponent has moved inside their 20-yard line. Their red-zone defense is one of the biggest reasons why the Steelers are in position to win the AFC North for the first time since 2010.

The Steelers will win the division and secure no worse than the No. 4 seed in the AFC if they beat the visiting Cincinnati Bengals next Sunday night.

Here is a recap of ESPN’s Steelers coverage from Sunday:

• Outside linebacker James Harrison keyed the Steelers’ six-sack performance against the Chiefs, showing the 12th-year veteran still has plenty of football left in him -- even if he doesn’t necessarily want to hear it.

• The future is now for rookie defensive end Stephon Tuitt, who turned in the best game of his young career and made one of the plays of the game.

• The Steelers are happy to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011, but they are anything but satisfied after winning at least 10 games for the fifth time in Tomlin’s eight seasons as the head coach.

• Sal Paolantonio caught up with Le’Veon Bell after the Steelers running back grinded out 63 rushing yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.

Here is what the Pittsburgh columnists are saying about the Steelers:

• The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Rob Rossi writes that the Steelers will enter the playoffs as a dangerous team.

• The Steelers may not be Super Bowl favorites, writes Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Gene Collier, but did anybody see them clinching a playoff spot with a week left in the regular season?

• The Post-Gazette’s Ron Cook takes a look at outside linebacker James Harrison, who apparently ages better than wine.