The Steelers let control of the AFC North slip away on Sunday in a 31–28 loss to the Bears, while Baltimore handled its business on the other end. And linebacker Patrick Queen didn’t hide his frustration. He pointed the finger, at least partly, at Mike Tomlin and the defensive calls that broke down all night.

Queen talked about issues with their underneath coverage; two defenders asked to cover too much ground against multiple routes. He made sure to say the players have to be better, but it wasn’t hard to hear the edge in his voice.

“I think we just got to be better, honestly. I think sometimes it was schematic issues that we had. It’s kind of hard for two guys that’s underneath defenders to try to guard two routes. It’s kind of a bad spot to be in, but at the end of the day, we just got to be better,” Queen said.

The most glaring mistake came on DJ Moore’s second touchdown. It flipped the game and put Chicago ahead for good at 24–21. Pittsburgh blew the match-up entirely, leaving Moore free up the seam while trying to chase multiple vertical routes. It looked disorganized, and it was.

On paper, this defense should be one of the league’s best; instead, it’s sitting 28th in total defense despite being the NFL’s most expensive defensive unit. Not having a true No. 1 receiver has hurt the offense, but the defense was supposed to carry its share of the load. More often than not, it hasn’t.

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There have been bright stretches where the unit shows what it could be. But consistency has never followed. If the Steelers want even a sliver of a postseason chance, Queen and the rest of that side have to find another level.

And when Queen mentions “schematic issues,” it’s hard not to look back at one of the strangest moments of the night: Tomlin punting late in the fourth quarter while trailing by three.

Mike Tomlin defends his call

The Steelers had a fourth-and-short with just over two minutes left, all three timeouts in their pocket. Head coach Mike Tomlin chose to punt. He doubled down later.

“I was holding all three (timeouts), and, as you can see, we got the ball back,” Tomlin said.

His thinking: preserve the timeouts, trust the defense, avoid giving the Bears a short field if the conversion failed, and hope for one more possession with enough clock left to work. In theory, it makes sense. In practice, it unraveled almost immediately.

The Steelers lost their third timeout when James Pierre got hurt trying to get off the field during a stopped clock after an incompletion, and by rule, that injury cost them the timeout, anyway. Suddenly, the plan Tomlin was banking on essentially collapsed.

Maybe going for it would’ve changed the outcome. Maybe it wouldn’t. But the reality is the same: Pittsburgh may have just watched the division slip to Baltimore for good, and right now the Steelers look lost on both sides of the ball. Mike Tomlin needs to find a solution. And he must be quick.