With defense in disarray, Steelers focus on fixing communication vs. Chiefs

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a defense in disarray, with their depth depleted by injuries, communication issues causing coverage problems and back-to-back losses marred by missed tackles.

The timing couldn’t be worse for the Steelers (10-5) to draw the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs (14-1), who boast not only the best record in the NFL but an offense led by two-time MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

For the Steelers, the communication breakdowns are the newest concern.

“You’re always working to fix some problems because you always have problems,” Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. “This just showed up last week, so we have to get it fixed.”

With a short turnaround between their loss Saturday at Baltimore and the Christmas Day contest with the Chiefs at Acrisure Stadium — their third game in a brutal 11-day stretch — the Steelers are seeking a quick fix.

If not, they’re well aware they could face a familiar consequence.

“The same end result that we keep getting if we keep doing the same thing,” Steelers inside linebacker Patrick Queen said. “It’s that simple.”

The Steelers know that the same thing troubling them — trust and communication issues — is what Kansas City can count on, given how Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce have thrived in Chiefs coach Andy Reid’s West Coast offense on their way to three Super Bowl titles.

Mahomes continues to make magic, as the Chiefs have had a dozen games decided by single digits this season. And Kelce remains his favorite target, leading the team with 89 receptions for 739 yards.

“You really feel that continuity when you watch it on their side of the ball,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “I think it’s more displayed in Mahomes’ extension than anywhere else. When he extends plays and utilizes his talents, his mobility, his arm talent, his ability to deliver the ball from a variety of angles, his field vision and all of that, it comes together in the form of splash plays. But I think it’s just borne out of that continuity.

“You talk about a guy who’s in complete command of his offense and knows where all his eligibles are and consistently displays that, and that allows them to extend and move around and make the plays that he makes. But he also has good nonverbal communication with central targets like Kelce. They’re always on the same page on these play extensions in terms of finding open space and creating big plays without the potential for negativity for them.”

The Steelers, by contrast, spent Monday stressing fundamentals and talking about trusting their teammates after blown assignments factored into two Ravens touchdowns. One involved a miscommunication between Queen and free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.

“We’ve got the guys here to be great,” Queen said. “There’s playmakers at every position all over the field. If we can communicate, we should be fine.”

Defensive captain Cameron Heyward preached accountability, blaming the missed tackles on players “trying to do too much,” in some part as an effort to make up for missing four starters.

The Steelers were without defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (groin), strong safety DeShon Elliott (hamstring) and cornerback Donte Jackson (back) before losing top cover corner Joey Porter Jr. (knee) to injury in the first quarter at Baltimore. That forced backups Dean Lowry, Damontae Kazee and James Pierre into starting roles and Cory Trice Jr. into a prominent role after being out since Week 3.

“If you’re in the vicinity of where you need to be, there’s less chance for that error,” Heyward said. “We’ve got to clean that up. We’ve got to get back to playing our ball. I’m looking forward to doing that. … We’ve got to rely on what we got into: It’s your fundamentals, it’s your technique, it’s your execution of plays. It’s a mixture of all of that and remembering that if one guy does his job, then we can rely on everybody doing his job.”

Though the Steelers know Mahomes isn’t putting up MVP-caliber numbers this season — a 67% completion percentage, 91.3 passer rating and 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions — they still marvel at his remarkable ability to extend plays and superior improvisational skills.

For that reason, Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson believes it’s on the offense to match Mahomes as much as it is the defense to contain him and a Chiefs offense that is averaging 23.7 points, just a fraction better than the Steelers’ 23.5.

“You understand that you know when he’s going to make plays, we have to make them, too,” Wilson said. “We’ve got to find ways to make them and do different things. I’m excited about who we are. It’s not just one versus one, though. It’s 11 versus 11. That’s the great part about this game. That’s part that I love more than anything else, and we have to respond great in all three phases.

“They’re great in all three phases. We are, too, when we’re on our stuff, and so we’re excited about that opportunity to do that in front of our fans.”

Porter Jr., Ben Skowronek remain out

In regards to the prospects for returning to game action Wednesday, Monday offered some promising news about the five Pittsburgh Steelers players who missed this past weekend’s loss in Baltimore.

The four starters on the active roster who missed that game because of injury all were listed as full practice participants on the league-mandated injury report for Monday: receiver George Pickens (hamstring), safety DeShon Elliott (hamstring), cornerback Donte Jackson (back) and defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi (groin).

Monday was scheduled as the only true practice of the abbreviated work week in advance of the Christmas Day game against the visiting Kansas City Chiefs. In reality, it was a glorified walkthrough for a team set to play its third game in an 11-day span.

The two players who left the game in Baltimore — starting cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and receiver Ben Skowronek — did not practice Monday and are not expected to play Wednesday. Porter has a knee injury and Skowronek a hip issue.