KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) —
Ben Roethlisberger
joked that the broken thumb on his throwing hand was “still attached” Sunday night. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin thought the
injury was a non-issue, and perhaps it was given the way the former Pro Bowl quarterback played.

One thing is certain: The Chiefs sure wish it had been a bigger problem.

Roethlisberger threw a short touchdown pass to
Weslye Saunders
in the first half, and the Steelers took advantage of four turnovers by Chiefs quarterback
Tyler Palko
in a 13-9 victory that allowed them to keep pace with Baltimore atop the loaded AFC North.

“They’re a good football team, good defense,” Roethlisberger said. “It’s tough because it’s a mixed feeling type of thing:
You’re happy to get the win, but you’re disappointed the way the offense played. I think that’s what team’s all about. The
defense stepped up huge today.”

Roethlisberger finished 21 of 31 for 193 yards and an interception for the Steelers (8-3), whose defense lost All-Pro safety

Troy Polamalu
to a head injury in the first quarter yet still managed to keep the bumbling Chiefs (4-7) from scoring a touchdown.

Kansas City has reached the end zone only once since beating San Diego on Oct. 31.

The Chiefs nearly did on their final possession, marching across midfield to the 37. That’s when Palko dropped back and looked
for
Dwayne Bowe
, but his throw was high and behind him, and
Keenan Lewis
hauled in the interception with 29 seconds left to seal the win.

“I just read the quarterback. I knew I had help underneath, so I could stay back and protect deep,” Lewis said. “When the
ball came out of the quarterback’s hand, I saw that Bowe had already made his move. That’s when I knew I could make a play.”

Palko, making his second consecutive start in place of the injured
Matt Cassel
, also fumbled a snap and threw interceptions to
Ike Taylor
and
Ryan Mundy
on consecutive passes in the first half.

Palko fared little better than he did last week against New England, when he tossed three picks in his first NFL start. He
finished 18 of 28 for 167 yards in what was likely his last chance.

The Chiefs claimed former Broncos quarterback
Kyle Orton
off waivers Wednesday with the intention of having him compete with Palko for the starting job. Orton didn’t arrive in town
until Friday, though, and he was inactive Sunday night after participating in only one practice.

“He’ll have a much better chance this week to compete,” Chiefs coach Todd Haley said, “and like I said, Tyler is the starter,
but whatever position we say, if someone gives us a better chance to win, that’s the guideline we generally follow.”

Kansas City led 3-0 in the second quarter when Palko’s first interception, which Taylor returned to the Chiefs 8, resulted
in a 21-yard field goal by the Steelers’
Shaun Suisham
.

The second pick was returned by Mundy, who had taken over at safety for Polamalu, to the Kansas City 24. The defense appeared
to hold Pittsburgh when
Tamba Hali
sacked Roethlisberger on third-and-7, but safety
Jon McGraw
was called for defensive holding to give the Steelers a first down.

Three plays later, Roethlisberger found Saunders in the back of the end zone.

“He was kind of one of the last options,” Roethlisberger said. “I saw Wes coming in the back of the end zone, he’s kind of
a big target, so I just kind of threw it up to him.”

Ryan Succop
added a 49-yard field goal later in the second quarter for Kansas City, his second of the game, but Suisham answered with
his own 49-yarder on the final play of the first half.

Succop added a 40-yard field goal with 6:11 left in the fourth quarter.

Polamalu left the game in the first quarter when he tackled 290-pound Chiefs offensive tackle
Steve Maneri
, who had caught a pass in the flat after lining up in the backfield.

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year’s head hit Maneri’s knee and he crumpled to the turf, where he lay while trainers
came out to check on him. Polamalu was a bit wobbly when he stood up and Tomlin said after the game that he was experiencing
“concussion-like symptoms.”

Roethlisberger showed little evidence of the broken thumb that caused him to be somewhat limited in practice, hitting 10 different
receivers. He got some help from
Rashard Mendenhall
, who ran for 57 yards, and a defense that kept giving the Pittsburgh offense prime field position.

The Steelers squandered a promising opportunity in the first quarter, driving inside the Chiefs 10-yard line. But backup running
back
Mewelde Moore
had the ball poked out by Chiefs linebacker
Tamba Hali
and it was recovered by
Javier Arenas
in the end zone for a touchback.

Kansas City gave the ball right back when Palko fumbled the snap moments later.

Pittsburgh also had a decent drive end midway through the scoreless third when Roethlisberger underthrew
Antonio Brown
down the sideline. Kansas City safety
Travis Daniels
swooped in to make the interception, but the Chiefs’ bumbling offense couldn’t capitalize.

That wound up being the story of the game.

“We’re excited about winning – and winning on the road – and making the necessary plays,” Tomlin said. “We produced turnovers
tonight, and that was big for us.”

Notes: Kansas native Martina McBride sang the national anthem. Modern Family’s Eric Stonestreet, who attended Kansas State,
threw the ceremonial first pass. … Steelers C
Maurkice Pouncey
left in the first half with an illness. … The Chiefs finished with 252 yards of total offense.

© 2011 STATS LLC

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) —
Ben Roethlisberger
joked that the broken thumb on his throwing hand was “still attached” Sunday night. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin thought the
injury was a non-issue, and perhaps it was given the way the former Pro Bowl quarterback played.

One thing is certain: The Chiefs sure wish it had been a bigger problem.

Roethlisberger threw a short touchdown pass to
Weslye Saunders
in the first half, and the Steelers took advantage of four turnovers by Chiefs quarterback
Tyler Palko
in a 13-9 victory that allowed them to keep pace with Baltimore atop the loaded AFC North.

“They’re a good football team, good defense,” Roethlisberger said. “It’s tough because it’s a mixed feeling type of thing:
You’re happy to get the win, but you’re disappointed the way the offense played. I think that’s what team’s all about. The
defense stepped up huge today.”

Roethlisberger finished 21 of 31 for 193 yards and an interception for the Steelers (8-3), whose defense lost All-Pro safety

Troy Polamalu
to a head injury in the first quarter yet still managed to keep the bumbling Chiefs (4-7) from scoring a touchdown.

Kansas City has reached the end zone only once since beating San Diego on Oct. 31.

The Chiefs nearly did on their final possession, marching across midfield to the 37. That’s when Palko dropped back and looked
for
Dwayne Bowe
, but his throw was high and behind him, and
Keenan Lewis
hauled in the interception with 29 seconds left to seal the win.

“I just read the quarterback. I knew I had help underneath, so I could stay back and protect deep,” Lewis said. “When the
ball came out of the quarterback’s hand, I saw that Bowe had already made his move. That’s when I knew I could make a play.”

Palko, making his second consecutive start in place of the injured
Matt Cassel
, also fumbled a snap and threw interceptions to
Ike Taylor
and
Ryan Mundy
on consecutive passes in the first half.

Palko fared little better than he did last week against New England, when he tossed three picks in his first NFL start. He
finished 18 of 28 for 167 yards in what was likely his last chance.

The Chiefs claimed former Broncos quarterback
Kyle Orton
off waivers Wednesday with the intention of having him compete with Palko for the starting job. Orton didn’t arrive in town
until Friday, though, and he was inactive Sunday night after participating in only one practice.

“He’ll have a much better chance this week to compete,” Chiefs coach Todd Haley said, “and like I said, Tyler is the starter,
but whatever position we say, if someone gives us a better chance to win, that’s the guideline we generally follow.”

Kansas City led 3-0 in the second quarter when Palko’s first interception, which Taylor returned to the Chiefs 8, resulted
in a 21-yard field goal by the Steelers’
Shaun Suisham
.

The second pick was returned by Mundy, who had taken over at safety for Polamalu, to the Kansas City 24. The defense appeared
to hold Pittsburgh when
Tamba Hali
sacked Roethlisberger on third-and-7, but safety
Jon McGraw
was called for defensive holding to give the Steelers a first down.

Three plays later, Roethlisberger found Saunders in the back of the end zone.

“He was kind of one of the last options,” Roethlisberger said. “I saw Wes coming in the back of the end zone, he’s kind of
a big target, so I just kind of threw it up to him.”

Ryan Succop
added a 49-yard field goal later in the second quarter for Kansas City, his second of the game, but Suisham answered with
his own 49-yarder on the final play of the first half.

Succop added a 40-yard field goal with 6:11 left in the fourth quarter.

Polamalu left the game in the first quarter when he tackled 290-pound Chiefs offensive tackle
Steve Maneri
, who had caught a pass in the flat after lining up in the backfield.

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year’s head hit Maneri’s knee and he crumpled to the turf, where he lay while trainers
came out to check on him. Polamalu was a bit wobbly when he stood up and Tomlin said after the game that he was experiencing
“concussion-like symptoms.”

Roethlisberger showed little evidence of the broken thumb that caused him to be somewhat limited in practice, hitting 10 different
receivers. He got some help from
Rashard Mendenhall
, who ran for 57 yards, and a defense that kept giving the Pittsburgh offense prime field position.

The Steelers squandered a promising opportunity in the first quarter, driving inside the Chiefs 10-yard line. But backup running
back
Mewelde Moore
had the ball poked out by Chiefs linebacker
Tamba Hali
and it was recovered by
Javier Arenas
in the end zone for a touchback.

Kansas City gave the ball right back when Palko fumbled the snap moments later.

Pittsburgh also had a decent drive end midway through the scoreless third when Roethlisberger underthrew
Antonio Brown
down the sideline. Kansas City safety
Travis Daniels
swooped in to make the interception, but the Chiefs’ bumbling offense couldn’t capitalize.

That wound up being the story of the game.

“We’re excited about winning – and winning on the road – and making the necessary plays,” Tomlin said. “We produced turnovers
tonight, and that was big for us.”

Notes: Kansas native Martina McBride sang the national anthem. Modern Family’s Eric Stonestreet, who attended Kansas State,
threw the ceremonial first pass. … Steelers C
Maurkice Pouncey
left in the first half with an illness. … The Chiefs finished with 252 yards of total offense.

© 2011 STATS LLC

By Tony Massarotti, Boston.com Columnist

The Pittsburgh Steelers spread ‘em out and carved ‘em up, eschewing any notion of traditional smash-mouth football to expose what we all have known to be true for some time now: the Patriots can’t stop the pass. New England can’t get to the quarterback, can’t cover and, in the immortal words of Bart Scott, can’t stop a nosebleed, the latter even with a case of facial tissue and a cauterizing tool.

The dissection of the New England defense and the exposing of the Patriots overall, by the ever-revealing numbers:

8: Times a Steelers running back carried the ball in the first half, an inflated number that includes an inside draw by Mewelde Moore (who gained 16 yards) when Pittsburgh was trying to run out the clock at the end of the first half. By contrast, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger chucked the ball 33 times during the same period of time, attempting more passes in the first 30 minutes than 11 starters attempted all game yesterday throughout the now pass-happy NFL.

55: Times Roethlisberger dropped back to pass in the entire game, after which he presumably returned to the Steelers locker room and popped open a tall boy while knocking down some popcorn chicken (from Popeye’s, of course) and icing his arm. In all likelihood, Roethlisberger did not eat or drink during the game.

1: Passes caught yesterday by Patriots linebacker Gary Guyton, who set up the Patriots’ first touchdown with an interception of Roethlisberger on a poor throw that Guyton promptly returned to the Pittsburgh 8-yard line midway through the second quarter.

0: Passes caught by Chad Ochocinco, who was targeted once and otherwise did nothing.

40: Percentage of the Patriots’ sack total (five) that came on Pittsburgh’s final possession, after the Patriots were out of timeouts, when the Steelers inexplicably tried to pass the ball on consecutive downs. Pittsburgh ultimately punted the ball away with 28 seconds left, leaving the Patriots with the ball at the New England 22-yard line with 19 seconds to play.

2: Points awarded the Steelers on the next play when New England quarterback Tom Brady was strip-sacked amid a succession that resulted in a safety.

2: Solo tackles in the game by Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo (one solo, one assisted), who returned to action following a knee injury and was generally invisible. In his career, Mayo has four forced fumbles – never more than one in any season – to go along with 3.5 sacks and zero interceptions. What a playmaker, eh?

1.5: Of the Patriots’ 15 sacks this season, total recorded by New England linebackers. By contrast, Pittsburgh linebacker LaMarr Woodley had two sacks in about a 10-minute span during the second quarter of yesterday’s game, bringing his season total to nine.

46: Selection with which Woodley was chosen in the 2007 NFL draft, 22 spots after the Patriots selected defensive back Brandon Meriweather (24th overall) in the first round.

4: Other than Mayo, who was taken 10th overall in the first round, draft picks used by Patriots coach Bill Belichick to select a linebacker in the first three rounds during Belichick’s 12-year run in New England. Those players include Shawn Crable, Tyrone McKenzie, Brandon Spikes and Jermaine Cunningham, the first two of whom are no longer with the organization.

96: Number worn by Cunningham, who was a healthy scratch yesterday and has the grand total of one – one – tackle this season. Regarded as a pass rusher extraordinaire taken with the 53d overall selection of the 2010 draft, Cunningham has one career sack.

16: In yards, longest pass yesterday caught by a Patriots wide receiver, namely Deion Branch. Brady attempted deep throws late in the game to both Taylor Price and Ochocinco, neither of which came close to being completed. In Price’s defense, he appeared to have separation but Brady threw the ball behind him.

39:22: Time, in minutes and seconds, that the Steelers maintained possession of the football, proving that the term “ball-control passing attack” is hardly an oxymoron.

5,170: Passing yards the Patriots are on pace to allow this season, a figure that would break the single-season passing yardage total established by former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino (5,084) during the 1984 season.

4: Times the New England offense was called for false-start penalties that broke down as follows: Logan Mankins (two penalties, 10 yards), Matt Light (one penalty, five yards) and Sebastian Vollmer (one penalty, five yards).

9: Total yards accumulated by Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez (nine) as well as receivers Price (zero) and Ochocinco (zero).

50: Field goal percentage of Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski, who doinked a 42-yarder off the right upright late in the third quarter that would have closer the Pittsburgh lead to 20-13.

0: Interceptions this season for cornerback Devin McCourty, who had seven picks last year as a rookie. McCourty, who was credit with 17 passes defended last season, has been credited with just three such plays this year.

6: Catches by Pittsburgh tight end Heath Miller in the first quarter of yesterday’s game, a pace that would have produced 24 catches if maintained throughout the course of the afternoon. Miller entered yesterday’s game with 23 catches on the year.

23: Number previously worn by Patriots cornerback Leigh Bodden, who became the latest defensive back cast off by the Patriots over the weekend, joining a group that includes, among others, safeties Meriweather and James Sanders. Additionally, the Patriots placed defensive back Ras-I Dowling on injured reserve on Saturday.

92.9: Combined passer ratings of opposing quarterbacks against the Patriots this season, a number that relates directly to postseason success (according to Kerry Byrne of Cold Hard Football Facts) and places the Patriots 27th among the 32 NFL teams in pass defense. The only teams worse than New England in this area are Minnesota, Carolina, Miami, Denver and Indianapolis.

6-32: Combined won-lost record of the Vikings (2-6), Panthers (2-6), Dolphins (0-7), Broncos (2-5) and Colts (0-8).

102.1: Passer rating this season of New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, whose team is due to face the Patriots on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

More In Sports

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