Jan 10, 2017 5 min read

PITTSBURGH – There’s loud and then there’s Arrowhead Stadium loud.

The Steelers are well aware of the crowd-noise issues involved with playing at Kansas City.

They played there in 2015, losing 23-13 with backup quarterback Landry Jones starting in place of injured Ben Roethlisberger.

“It’s loud. It’s the loudest stadium I’ve ever played in,” said Steelers right tackle Marcus Gilbert.

They’ll get to experience that atmosphere again Sunday when they face the Chiefs at Arrowhead in an AFC Divisional playoff game.

Arrowhead Stadium might have been at its most racuous for that October game in 2015, but it figures to be even more so with a trip to the AFC Championship on the line.

Chiefs fans made their way into the Guiness Book of World Records in a 2014 Monday night game against the New England Patriots, with the crowd noise reaching 142.2 decibels. That’s the equivalent to noise of fireworks exploding.

The Steelers, who are coming off a 30-12 win over Miami last Sunday in an opening round playoff game, like to use a no-huddle offense, with Roethlisberger surveying the defense before calling a run or pass based on what defense he sees.

That could be difficult if he can’t relay the call to everyone because of crowd noise. But the Steelers quarterback believes his team is good enough with hand signals and other forms of communication that the no-huddle offense could help them deal with the noise.

“It’s going to be loud. Communication is going to be at a premium,” Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said Tuesday during his weekly show on KDKA-FM.

“I think one thing that can help us, when you’re on the road and it’s loud and you’re trying to communicate, is tempo. The faster we get up to the line of scrimmage with time on the play clock, the faster we can communicate, the more time we have to check, more time to make things happen. If we’re slow in and out of the huddle or slow getting to the line of scrimmage – if you’re getting to the line of scrimmage with 10 seconds left – that doesn’t give you a lot of time to diagnose or talk. You’re stuck with the play you’ve called. So that will be key for us.”

So will a fast start, something the Steelers did last week against Miami by scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions. The Steelers also started quickly in a 43-14 win over Kansas City in October, with Roethlisberger throwing five TD passes. Both of those games were played at Heinz Field.

“Being at home does help being able to use the cadence,” Roethlisberger said. “We did a lot of check-with-me-type stuff, trying to get the guys in the best play possible. That’s easier to do at home.”

The play of the offensive line will be critical.

In that 2015 game, the Steelers had only one penalty, a false start by Gilbert on their first series. After that, the line played well.

Kansas City has one of the best home-field advantages in the NFL, posting a 106-54 record since 1990.

But with Pro-Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey back in the lineup after missing the entire 2015 season, Roethlisberger believes the Steelers are better suited to handle the noise of Arrowhead Stadium. Pouncey makes the calls for Pittsburgh’s offensive line, including identifying potential blitzers and which direction to slide pass protection.

“He is my comfort blanket,” Roethlisberger said. “You’re not thinking about the snap. You’re not worried about anything when it comes to the line, the way he directs, gets things done.

“The way they talk and communicate, it’s awesome. They just understand each other, know each other. It’s subtle things. He is the catalyst for that group. He’s the man in the middle, making the calls. He’s the best in the business.”

He will need to be against the Chiefs. Kansas City head coach Andy Reid has a 19-2 career record coming off a bye week, which the Chiefs had last week, including a 3-0 record in the postseason.

Nothing about the game figures to be easy, even though the Steelers routed the Chiefs, 43-13, earlier this season at Heinz Field.

“You are faced with daunting challenges this time of year,” said Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. “You don’t need stats like that to wake you up to it. We are in the divisional round. We are going on the road. We understand that.”

Roethlisberger said he has not worn the walking boot he had on after the win over Miami since Sunday night and is not injured. … Tomlin said defensive coordinator Keith Butler, formerly the team’s linebackers coach, will work with the outside linebackers this week with position coach Joey Porter on leave following his arrest for an incident outside a Pittsburgh bar Sunday night. Tomlin said there is no timetable on the leave and wouldn’t rule out Porter coaching against Kansas City. … Tight end Ladarius Green remains in concussion protocol, though he could play if cleared. Linebacker Anthony Chickillo, safety Robert Golden and defensive end Ricardo Mathews, all of whom have ankle injuries, could return this week. Tomlin said safety Sean Davis (shoulder) also could play and reserve running back Fitzgerald Toussaint has been placed in concussion protocol.