During a season in which victories have been hard to come by, the Chiefs pulled off their biggest win of the year Sunday, defeating the defending-champion Steelers 27-24 in overtime.

It wasn't pretty for much of the game, especially on the offensive side, but the Chiefs made big plays on both defense and special teams to stay close and ultimately triumph.

Jamaal Charles started things off by returning the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown, and OLB Andy Studebaker came up with two key interceptions in his first career start that ended Pittsburgh drives.

The Chiefs have now won consecutive games for the first time in more than two years.

"It was by no means perfect," said head coach Todd Haley after the game, "but you get a guy like Andy Studebaker, who I said all offseason there was nobody that was better, and then to see it translate into some of the things that kid did out there today. I'm happy that some of that is starting to show because you need some positive reinforcement for as hard as these guys work. We push him hard and my philosophy is I'm not going to accept average or below. This job is not for the faint of heart and not a lot of games have been won around here. It's nice to get a little reward against a team like that. I thought the guys really showed heart and guts."

The PFW spin

It has been a tumultuous season in Kansas City, but Haley and the Chiefs made a statement Sunday. They might not have the talent of the league's upper-echelon teams, but they play with as much fight, persistence and willingness as any club around, which they proved can be a dangerous combination.

The Steelers did not take the Chiefs lightly, they just got outplayed at critical junctures of the contest. Charles showed his immense value as a playmaker by getting K.C. out to an early lead on the game's opening kickoff, and the "D" made very timely plays. Sure, allowing 515 yards of offense (401 through the air) will not be enough to win most contests, but the Chiefs found a way to clamp down in key situations and hold Pittsburgh to 24 points.

Kansas City also might have found its long-term replacement for OLB Mike Vrabel Sunday in Studebaker. Replacing the injured Vrabel, the second-year 'backer came up with two big picks of QB Ben Roethlisberger, including one in K.C.'s endzone that he returned 94 yards to set up a game-tying field goal, a play that totally swung momentum late in the third quarter. The "D" also got major contributions from a number of other players, including LB Demorrrio Williams (10 tackles) and S Mike Brown (nine tackles, one sack), to name a couple.

Offensively, the Chiefs still have plenty of work to do. QB Matt Cassel struggled for much of the contest, but he did come through when the team needed him late, tying the game with a short TD pass to Charles and then making a big throw to WR Chris Chambers in overtime to set up with the game-winning field goal by rookie Ryan Succop. Chambers, taking on the No. 1 receiver role with Dwayne Bowe serving the first of his four-game suspension, came up with four catches for 119 yards and has proven to be a terrific in-season pickup by GM Scott Pioli.

The Chiefs have now run their record to 2-0 since releasing RB Larry Johnson, and it's clear that this squad made significant progress since suffering a string of blowout losses earlier in the season. It's evident that Haley is maturing as a coach and has his players believing in his system, as they're playing with the same intensity and fire that he displays on the sideline. This team will battle hard no matter whom they are facing and should be able to win at least a couple more games before season's end. Not only will they wind up surpassing expectations, but they should build a great deal of confidence heading into 2010.