There’s nothing like a three-game losing streak to bring out the ugliest parts of an NFL roster. On Christmas Day, the Pittsburgh Steelers laid down and got blown out by the Kansas City Chiefs to fall to 10-5 on the season and lost the lead in the AFC North.
This prompted multiple players to air their discontent publicly when they addressed the media after the game. We already talked about safety DeShon Elliott calling out his defensive teammates for not doing their job and we heard Cameron Heyward say something similar.
The offense wasn’t immune from public criticism on Wednesday night. Wide receiver Calvin Austin III aired his issues with his teammates as well,
“It’s more frustrating when you give it to them almost and you don’t put up a winning effort,” Austin said. This felt less like a personal call-out like what Elliott and Heyward did but it still calls into question how hard the Steelers played.
Now the Steelers have a mini bye week to try to right the ship and get everyone on the same page before they wrap up the regular season against the Cincinnati Bengals.