Tomlin, Steelers blunt as struggles continue in loss to Chiefs - ESPN

PITTSBURGH — Mike Tomlin and his team didn't mince words in the aftermath of the Steelers' third straight loss.

«That sucked, to be blunt,» the coach said after Pittsburgh's 29-10 Christmas Day loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. «Not the type of ball we want to play and really kind of eerily similar to our last performance in that we're not doing the fundamental things well enough.»

In losing to the Chiefs, the Steelers (10-6) not only failed to compete with another one of the league's top teams, they also lost the ability to control their destiny in the race for the AFC North title and a coveted home playoff game. Though they once led the division by two games, the Steelers now have to beat the Cincinnati Bengals in the regular-season finale and have the Baltimore Ravens lose their Week 18 game to the Cleveland Browns to capture the crown.

«It's got to be a want-to,» linebacker Alex Highsmith said of how to right the ship. «There's not enough of that right now. There's got to be a want-to. It's that time of the year where we got two guaranteed games left. We're going to find out… who wants this. Everybody in this room got to want it. That's the only way we're going to move on and get better.»

The once-stout Steelers defense has given up an average of 30 points in the past three weeks, and the turnovers that once defined the team's success have slowed. The Steelers have only three takeaways in the past three games after collecting three each in the four games before the losing streak. The Steelers failed to produce a takeaway against the Chiefs, despite forcing a fumble the Chiefs ultimately recovered on a punt return.

And in the past two weeks, the Steelers have given up five touchdowns and not had an interception on