Steelers' TJ Watt Gives Brutally Honest Thoughts After Christmas Loss To Chiefs

The Pittsburgh Steelers looked lost as they hosted Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs for a Christmas Day special on Wednesday. The Steelers only put 10 points on the scoreboard, as their defense allowed 29 points to Mahomes and the Chiefs' offense. This was Pittsburgh's third straight loss after also falling to the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens. After another poor outing by the defense, some key players, including TJ Watt, were very upset with the group's effort. 

The Steelers' defense finished the game with zero sacks and zero turnovers. Early in the game, the Chiefs fumbled the football on a punt return, but the Steelers were unable to make the recovery, once again. Shortly after, Mahomes had a tipped pass at the line of scrimmage and Patrick Queen had an easy opportunity to secure an interception. Queen wasn't able to execute and Pittsburgh's defensive struggles would continue. After the loss, Watt gave Pittsburgh reporters his personal thoughts on the team. 

"We need to work more," Watt said with a straight face. "We need to continue to work, look at ourselves in the mirror, and get back to work."

Watt seemed visibly displeased with the defense's performance, as he should be, being one of the team's captains. Watt finished the day with one tackle for loss, one pass deflected, and three total tackles. Watt hasn't seemed to be playing at his highest level ever since his scary ankle injury in Philadelphia. The Chiefs had 389 total yards of offense against the Steelers on Wednesday, and Watt wasn't the only key defender that was upset with the team. Safety DeShon Elliott sounded off in the locker room after the Christmas loss. 

Elliott importantly mentioned that the Steelers' recent mistakes on defense are things that should be taken care of early in the season. The Steelers only have one game remaining before they enter the playoff race, but they won't make it far with the way they've been playing. As Elliott told Pittsburgh reporters, opposing receivers have been absolutely wide open way too often. 

The Steelers once had a comfortable AFC North lead with a 10-3 record. After losing three straight, the ball is now in the Ravens' court. If Baltimore wins both of their final two games, they'll be crowned as the division champions for 2024. Through their 10-3 start, the Steelers were being given a lot of credit for playing well in all three phases - offense, defense, and special teams. However, Pittsburgh hasn't performed well in any of the three phases as of late, hence their three-game losing skid. 

Steelers' Mike Tomlin Seems Unsure About Defensive Issues

After the game, Mike Tomlin tried to explain to reporters why Travis Kelce seemed wide open all game. Kelce had eight catches for 84 yards and a touchdown from Mahomes against Pittsburgh. Tomlin's reasoning was Kelce's ability to do well against zone coverages. Despite knowing this, Tomlin and the defense continued to run zone defenses and continued to get picked apart. 

Partially due to important injuries, the Steelers have taken a major step back defensively. On paper, Pittsburgh's defense should have no problems handling the Chiefs and their offense. The Steelers have tons of talent dispersed across the defense, but the secondary has really struggled against the pass. If the Steelers want any shot at taking down the Cincinnati Bengals in their regular season finale, the defensive backs are going to have to figure some things out. 

What are your thoughts on Watt's comments? What does the defense need to do to get back to winning football? Let us know in the comments below. 

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