Steelers' DeShon Elliott takes aim at teammates after latest loss to Chiefs

The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered their third straight loss on Wednesday by the score of 29-10 against the Kansas City Chiefs, and frustrations boiled over, especially on the defensive side, as safety DeShon Elliott made it clear what has been going wrong on that side of the ball.

“First off, guys can't be [freaking] wide open,” DeShon Elliott said, via Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “That's the first thing. Just do your job. I felt like we communicated, but guys just weren't doing their freaking job. It's Week 18. We shouldn't be having these problems in Week 18. This is a Week 1 or Week 2 problem I don't know when we went down the line and became a whole different defense than what we had been, but we have to get back to who we are.”

Elliott was not the only one to rip the Steelers' effort in the loss. In addition to Elliott, Cam Heyward and head coach Mike Tomlin had blunt reactions. The Steelers' defense has struggled during this stretch, giving up 27 points to the Philadelphia Eagles, 34 points to the Baltimore Ravens, and then 29 to the Chiefs on Christmas Day. Pittsburgh has clinched a playoff spot, so they will be in regardless of what happens in Week 18. However, it is clear that there are some issues to resolve in the next week or so.

Steelers lose grip on AFC North

A few weeks ago, the Steelers looked as if they had a firm grip on the AFC North, and it seemed an inevitability that they could clinch the title. However, after the three straight losses, and the Ravens' win over the Houston Texans on Christmas Day, Baltimore is a game ahead of Pittsburgh.

Now, the Steelers have to beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 18, a team that could be fighting for their playoff lives, and hope that the Ravens lose against the Cleveland Browns to clinch the division title. In all likelihood, the Steelers will be going on the road for the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

As a result of the loss to the Chiefs, the Steelers will also want to win in Week 18 due to playoff seeding in the Wild Card race, even if the AFC North title is not possible anymore. Pittsburgh is battling position with the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos in that regard. If the Steelers are able to secure the No. 5 seed, they will face a reeling Texans team in the Wild Card round.