Steelers locker room reportedly in disarray after suppressed jabs against player trying to play "hero ball"

Yesterday, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost their third game in 11 days, as they suffered a 29-10 Christmas Day loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

After starting the season 8-2, the Steelers are 10-6, losing their last three games in a row, and have slipped out of the AFC North crown. Recently, their defense, which has been their backbone and identity to success, has also struggled.

Defensive players such as lineman Cam Heyward, linebacker Patrick Queen, and safety DeShone Elliot are a few players who have publicly spoken about the Steelers' woes on defense.

Steelers correspondent for "The Pat McAfee Show," Mark Kaboly, spoke about the team's issues on the show, saying that the Steelers have made it known that someone is trying to play "hero ball," causing more problems on the team. Kaboly said:

"Something was a little off after the game yesterday and you could tell people wanted to say something about somebody. They made it known that somebody is trying to play hero ball."

Pittsburgh Steelers players voice their opinions on what's been going wrong amid their struggles

Cam Heyward during Pittsburgh Steelers v Baltimore Ravens (Image source: Getty)

Following yesterday's loss, multiple Pittsburgh players voiced their frustrations. While it's normal for players to be frustrated and express their anger after a loss, what some players were saying was a little alarming.

The Steelers' issues seem to be more internal, as some players seem to be indirectly pointing the finger in recent interviews. Defensive captain Heyward singled out "one guy" for not doing his job, which screws the team as a whole. Heyward said:

“When 10 guys do their job and one guy doesn’t, we are screwed. It comes down to communicating, it comes down to executing, it comes down to guys following their assignments.”

Queen said he couldn't explain the issue, but nobody was "doing a thing about it." Queen said:

"Can’t explain it, it’s happening. We keep talking about it. Nobody is doing a thing about it. ... If nobody does anything about what they are supposed to be doing then we don't have any room for it.”

Elliot may have been the most upset player after yesterday's loss to Kansas City. Elliot said that the team's problems should not be happening deep into the season and that the Steelers are becoming a "different defense." Elliot said:

"First off, guys can't be f****** wide open. That's the first thing. Just do your job, you know?"

"I thought we communicated. Guys just weren't doing their freaking job. So, get back to the drawing board. It's Week 18. Shouldn't be having these problems in Week 18. This is a Week 1, Week 2 problem. So, I don't know where we went down the line, started becoming a whole different defense than what we were, but we've got to get back to who we are," he added.

The Steelers will likely lose the division to the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers have already clinched a playoff spot but will look to finish the regular season strong by defeating the Cincinnati Bengals next Sunday.

Do the Steelers break their three-game skid and fix their issues?