Coming out of a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, one that saw a number of Chiefs players running wide open against the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense, some rather pointed postgame comments were made by the likes of linebacker Patrick Queen, safety DeShon Elliott and even team captain Cameron Heyward.
Criticism of execution, of guys not doing their jobs, of communication being poor, it was all there as the Christmas Day blowout to the Chiefs was the culmination of a difficult three-games-in-11-days stretch for the Steelers.
That led to a difficult Thursday meeting last week in which things were aired out while the team got back together and regrouped a bit, particularly on defense.
Head coach Mike Tomlin stated earlier in the week that the bickering on defense resulted from those players caring. For standout safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who earned a Pro Bowl nod Thursday, it wasn’t so much bickering as it was a conflict, with players meeting it head-on.
Things were aired out, and the communication issues and not being on the same page was seemingly fixed. Speaking to reporters Thursday ahead of the Week 18 regular-season finale against the visiting Cincinnati Bengals Saturday night, Fitzpatrick stated he’s confident the issues were corrected.
“I wouldn’t say a lot of it was conflict resolution. I think it was a lot about all getting on the same page, seeing the game the same way, really emphasizing communication so there’s no gray area, so you can’t say, ‘I did call this, I didn’t call that,” Fitzpatrick said, according to video via Steelers.com. “‘We’re gonna use hand signals. You’re gonna be verbal and it’s gonna be clear if you did or did not. And there’s not gonna be any back and forth of what you did or didn’t say.’
“It’s gonna be clear, it’s gonna be concise. We’re all gonna be on the same page and we play fast.”
Fitzpatrick said all the right things there, but it’s easier said than done when it comes to communication issues being fixed. Having that mini-bye week coming off the Christmas Day loss certainly had to help the Steelers get a chance to reset and regroup, particularly on defense.
Three games in 11 days is a difficult stretch, and with the number of injuries the Steelers had to deal with, it took a toll defensively. There were new faces in elevated roles, which could have played a part in the miscommunications.
But that’s in the past. The Steelers have emphasized communication and doing one’s job leading up to the Bengals’ matchup. That will be the ultimate test against an explosive offense with great playmakers who can really put defenses in a bind with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins catching passes from Joe Burrow.
For Fitzpatrick, the confidence is there that it’s fixed because of how the defense has looked this week in practice.
“There’s not a lot of people running open,” Fitzpatrick said. “We haven’t had to run back a whole lot of plays. Maybe only one from Wednesday. And we’ve been doing a lot of extra work on the side while the offense is on the field, working on those communications, working on those adjustments.”
Hopefully the work pays off on Saturday night. The Steelers need a win for seeding in the AFC playoffs, and they need a win to feel good entering the postseason in general after being beaten down and coming apart in recent weeks.
