When Patrick Queen, Alex Highsmith, Cam Heyward and DeShon Elliott all made comments that questioned unnamed players in the locker room following the 29-10 loss to the Chiefs, it was going to be something which Mike Tomlin was going to have to address. When there's open disarray and discord amongst teammates, especially as a once promising season is heading into another tailspin, the head coach ultimately answers for it.

And when Tomlin stepped to the podium Monday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, he did just that:

"I didn't do much about it. They bicker because they care," Tomlin said. "We weren't playing well. Oftentimes, the solution is born out of conflict and confrontation, particularly when we're in the business we're in. We're not going to let an issue like that be a big issue. It's really not. Guys expressing truth and working to seek solutions, and sometimes emotions are involved in that. Most of the time when you get out of those circumstances, you're able to move on as a collective. I feel like we certainly have done that."

It's obviously important for this team to figure out solutions, and the mini-bye they just had is a great time to do it. The team showed up the day after the loss on Christmas to address a number of issues, mostly on the field but also off of it. Then, they had three days off to clear their heads and get some rest.

Everybody who spoke Monday, including Tomlin and a handful of players, all spoke about how well meetings went Monday morning and an overall eagerness to get back to work on the practice field.

Queen was among the players who spoke, and explained why he made the comments he did after the last game:

"I don't want to speak for anyone else, just me personally. I do care a lot," Queen said. "I know I kind of go about it the wrong way sometimes with (Teryl Austin) and (Mike Tomlin). For me, it's just ... I care. I know what this team could be. I know what this defense could be with the players that we've got. Anytime you see anything like that going on, it's because we care. It's never personal. It's never trying to be a sore thumb. It's just going out there because we really care. We really want to win. We know how good our defense could be. We know how good this team could be if our defense is at a high level."

He's not wrong, necessarily. When this defense was communicating well and playing well, they were a top-10 unit in every measurable way. Even borderline top five, in some ways. But, the communication breakdowns over the past three games have derailed the season. Now, instead of a division title and at least one home playoff game, the most likely outcome has road trips at every stop toward an unlikely Super Bowl run.

While the team does seem to be in a better overall headspace compared to the last time we saw them, it doesn't mean anything unless they produce actual change to what's been plaguing them when they take the field Saturday night against a red-hot Bengals team.