It’s been 15 years since the last time the Pittsburgh Steelers were in the Super Bowl and 17 years since the organization has hoisted a Vince Lombardi Trophy to end their season.
Kansas City Chiefs wideout Skyy Moore, a Pittsburgh native, made sure to sprinkle some salt over the wound of Pittsburgh fans still aching the recent AFC wild-card defeat to the Baltimore Ravens over three weeks ago. The 24-year-old, whose family is filled with Steelers fans, ensured that if the Chiefs become the NFL’s first team to three-peat in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) this Sunday, they’ll have an earful coming their way.
“Sometimes I’ll throw my hand on the table with the rings on it, and let them know the Steelers ain’t what they used to be,” Moore told “Steelers Now” on Super Bowl Opening Night. “The last time they won, I was like eight years old, but I still got love for Pittsburgh. The Steelers, that’s my No. 2, but I’ll definitely pull (my family’s) leg a little bit when I go back home.”
Moore added: “It starts from the top down. There’s a way that we do things. There’s a way that coach (Andy) Reid runs his team and we got a whole locker room of guys that follow his lead. So just our consistency and our attention to detail is what’s got us here for a third year in a row.”
The Chiefs haven’t had Moore healthy and ready to go since Kansas City’s Week 7 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 20. Moore suffered a core muscle injury and was fined over $9,000 for an unnecessary roughness penalty when he engaged in a third-quarter scuffle with San Francisco cornerback Deommodore Lenoir. From there, Moore was ruled out for the remainder of the season and now has one final chance at a return.
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Moore, now eligible to practice with the team, fully intends to go to whatever lengths to take the field Sunday for Kansas City’s Super Bowl LIX battle with the Philadelphia Eagles.
“That was my goal, just getting back as soon as possible,” Moore said. “It ended up honestly taking longer than I thought it would. I got off the table like, ‘I don’t know, I might be able to do this again.’ But the little details, the little muscles and tendons that come with the core sat me out for about three months but I feel pretty good right now. … I came out here thinking, ‘Alright, I gotta look the best I’ve ever looked so they can active me.’ Can’t miss this one.”
Moore has been extremely fortunate since being selected in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft by Kansas City, making three Super Bowl appearances in three seasons. A third ring on Moore’s hand would make it nearly impossible for his family to counter the dinner table bragging rights that Sunday could provide the Western Michigan product.
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Featured image via Denny Medley/Imagn Images