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DeShon Elliott expressed frustration with his Pittsburgh Steelers teammates after a Christmas Day defeat against the Kansas City Chiefs marked the team’s third consecutive loss.
“First off, guys can’t be f–king wide open,” Elliott said when asked what the Steelers could change to end the losing streak. “That’s the first thing. Just do your job, you know?
“I thought we communicated. Guys just weren’t doing their freaking job. So, get back to the drawing board. It’s Week 18. Shouldn’t be having these problems in Week 18. This is a Week 1, Week 2 problem. So, I don’t know where we went down the line, started becoming a whole different defense than what we were, but we’ve got to get back to who we are.”
Christopher Carter @CarterCritiques
Deshon Elliott with some strong words on the #Steelers‘ efforts of late:
“First off, guys can’t be f*ckin wide open.” pic.twitter.com/tLlkMMaAO3
Elliott wasn’t the only member of the Steelers to call out his teammates effort after Wednesday’s loss, during which the Chiefs were allowed 389 total yards of offense as they climbed to a 15-1 record.
“The last three weeks we played like s–t,” Cam Heyward said after Wednesday’s loss, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “Simple as that. I own that. Every player’s got [to own that]. Can’t squander opportunities, whether it’s turnovers, whether it’s getting off the field, whether it’s scoring touchdowns, it’s a multitude of things, and it has reared its big head.
Heyward added, per Mark Kaboly of The Pat McAfee Show: “When 10 guys do their job and one guy doesn’t, we are screwed.”
Patrick Queen meanwhile said after the game, per PennLive’s Nick Farabaugh: “Can’t explain it, it’s happening. We keep talking about it. Nobody is doing a thing about it.”
The Steelers have been outscored by a total of 90-40 in consecutive losses to the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens and Chiefs.
Pittsburgh’s pass defense particularly struggled in Wednesday’s 29-10 loss to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
The Steelers entered Week 16 with the chance to top the AFC North with a win over the Ravens.
After losing three straight, clinching the division crown no longer entirely in the hands of the 10-6 Steelers. Pittsburgh needs both a win over the Cincinnati Bengals and a Ravens loss to the Cleveland Browns in order to win the division in Week 18.
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