Steelers' Mike Tomlin Makes Clear Statement About The Defense's Recent Words To Each Other: "They Bicker Because They Care"

The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering their final week of the regular season as they prepare to face a playoff-hopeful Cincinnati Bengals team on Saturday. Although the Steelers are already in the postseason, seeding still matters depending on different outcomes of the games in Week 18. They can't finish any worse than a sixth seed, so the most likely outcomes are visiting either the Houston Texans or Baltimore Ravens, but with a Ravens loss and Steelers win, the Steelers will host the Los Angeles Chargers. It's still important to finish off the last week strong, but during Pittsburgh's three-game losing streak, some parts of the team haven't given Steeler Nation much hope for a long postseason.

With a Saturday game against the Bengals, Head Coach Mike Tomlin addressed the media on Monday heading into Week 18. A Steelers reporter immediately asked Tomlin about the choice of words from defensive players during postgame media availabilities after the Kansas City Chiefs game in Week 17. Tomlin downplayed the situation and made it clear everyone has moved on.

"I didn’t do much about it," Tomlin admitted. "They bicker because they care and we weren’t playing well and oftentimes the solution is born out of conflict and confrontation... We are not gonna let an issue like that be a big issue, and it’s really not. Guys expressing truth and working to seek solutions and sometimes emotions are involved in that. Most of the time when you get out of those circumstances, you’re able to move on as a collective and I feel like we have certainly done that."

The defense has struggled as of late when it's supposed to be the saving grace of this Pittsburgh team. Players like Patrick Queen and DeShon Elliott voiced frustration after the 29-10 loss to the Chiefs on Christmas Day. Chiefs receivers were continuously wide open and the defensive front didn't record a single sack against Patrick Mahomes. 

After dropping three straight games in a span of 11 days, frustrations about the team's play finally came to light after Queen and Elliott expressed their opinions of the defensive play as of late. This is unusual for Steelers players to have such harsh words made public as Tomlin likes to keep all the problems in-house and out of the media's eye. 

These confessions led to theories about who the real problem is on defense. One of the main issues is communicating, which is a Week 1 problem rather than a Week 17 problem. Some believe it's one player, others think it's a coaching problem as Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin's name as been brought up to put blame on. However, Tomlin is usually the one that's calling the plays on defense.

Tomlin can say the situation has died down, but that'll be determined Saturday on how the defense responds against the Bengals. Although the Steelers won their first matchup against Cincy, the defense still gave up 375 yards, with Joe Burrow throwing for over 300 yards. If the defense wants to get back to being one of the best in the league, TJ Watt and Cameron Heyward will need to step up as leaders of this unit as Pittsburgh heads into the postseason.

Steelers Need To Find Their Turnover Groove Again

Tomlin preaches that turnovers are part of Pittsburgh's culture and being a key component of winning games. Through the past three games, there has been multiple opportunities for the Steelers' defense to make a big play, but they've come up short. There were a few plays during the Chiefs game where the ball could've been picked off, but it fell right through a defensive player's hands.

Other instances are muffed punts not recovered by special teams, where the offense would've had a short field to score. If the Steelers want to win games their way, these turnovers on defense and special teams need to happen.

What do you think of Tomlin's comments about the defense's words for each other? Let us know in the comments below!

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