Pittsburgh Steelers' Charter Plane Makes Emergency Landing in Kansas City
The Pittsburgh Steelers were flying back to Pittsburgh after defeating the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' charter plane that left Las Vegas made an emergency landing in Kansas City, Missouri early Monday morning, according to ESPN. A spokesperson from the Steelers said that everyone on the plane is safe and the team is "making necessary plans to arrive back in Pittsburgh later today."
According to multiple outlets, the plane landed at KCI Airport at 3:55 a.m. CT because of oil pressure failure in one of the engines. A replacement plane was scheduled to arrive in Kansas City at 9 a.m. CT to pick up the team and take them back to Pittsburgh. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Steelers are expected to return to Pittsburgh this afternoon.
Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Hayward joked on social media that he thought the emergency landing was due to teammate Minkah Fitzpatrick's roughing the passer call. He then tagged Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, suggesting the Steelers may need a ride back to Pittsburgh.
The Steelers were in Las Vegas to take on the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday night. They ended up winning 23-18, and quarterback Kenny Pickett threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns in the win. "I was really proud of the efforts and the playmaking," Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said after the game, per the team's official website. "We did what we needed to do to secure a victory. It's still very early stages of the year. We have a lot to learn and a lot to teach, but it's good to do so with the victory."
"It's never going to be perfect," Pickett said. "There are always things that I'm going to want to improve on and get back to the drawing board. But I think it's a great step for us as a team to come on the road, back-to-back primetime wins." The Steelers are looking to return to the playoffs after missing them last year. But the franchise has been consistent as they have not had a losing season since 2003 when they finished 6-10 on the year. For this season, the Steelers have won their last two games after losing the season-opener to the San Francisco 49ers. They will be back on the road next weekend when they take on the Houston Texans.