PITTSBURGH — When you dine at a five-star restaurant and pay five-star prices, it's fair to expect five-star taste. But unfortunately for the Steelers, due to communication issues and several more nuanced factors, the performance of their defense in this context would probably receive plenty of negative reviews on Yelp.

Not to mention, it seems the kitchen staff isn't exactly living in harmony after the Steelers' 29-10 loss to the Chiefs at Acrisure Stadium on Wednesday, a game in which the defense — the NFL's most expensive at $137.2 million, per OverTheCap.com — was yet again a noticeable weak spot.

Much like the Steelers' other issues, the defense's struggles have been tough to avoid, which ironically qualifies as the inverse of what Patrick Mahomes, Xavier Worthy, Travis Kelce and even Justin Watson learned about the unit during Pittsburgh's third straight loss.

The Chiefs had their way with the Steelers, coming within 11 yards of becoming the third consecutive team to total 400 or more. In the home locker room, defensive players were brimming with frustration over certain guys not doing their jobs, insinuating some among them are prioritizing individual pursuits over the team.

"It comes down to doing your job," Patrick Queen said.

Cam Heyward tried to stay positive, believing the blown coverages and missed tackles are more execution-based than a shortage of talent or care among players.

"My confidence is never going to lack in the group," Heyward said. "But from an execution standpoint, it's just dumbfounding. We have to get it done."

That hasn't happened nearly enough of late for the Steelers, who have allowed 90 points over the past three games. After managing just two hits on Mahomes, the Steelers have a mere 36 sacks to put them 17th in the NFL. They're also allowing 226.9 passing yards per game, ninth most.

Depending on how they fare next week against Cincinnati's Joe Burrow, it could be their fewest sacks in a season since tallying 38 back in 2016. It's also not acceptable for a group that takes pride in pressuring the quarterback and spends a lot of money to do so.

Assuming this recent trajectory continues for the Steelers, their lack of efficient spending on the defensive side of the ball should be revisited in the offseason. To further illustrate my point, consider how some of the NFL's top teams are spending on defense this season:

— Bills: $84.8 million, 19th

— Lions: $81.2 million, 24th

— Eagles: $78 million, 28th

— Vikings: $77.1 million, 29th

— Chiefs: $74.9 million, 30th

The biggest area of concern for me is Minkah Fitzpatrick, who carries a 2024 salary cap hit of $21.4 million. It wasn't long ago that Fitzpatrick was all over the place, picking off six passes and knocking down 11 more back in 2022.

It's the polar opposite now.

For whatever reason, the Steelers have been using Fitzpatrick to play deep center field, to function as the last line of defense and ensure nobody gets behind him.

Years of film study and playing football taught me that preventing touchdowns is a big part of a successful defense (sarcasm). But what I don't understand is paying someone more than $20 million to do it.

It's the same as the gourmet meal. If the price is high, fine. But it needs to taste good.

Which is why I'd look for a more efficient way to spend my defensive dollars next season, especially when you think about how thin the Steelers seem to be at corner.

Working forward, it will also be fair to question the three-year, $41 million Patrick Queen signing if the Steelers don't quickly come out of this funk, when they've allowed 26.1 points per game over their past eight games after giving up an average of just 14.9 in the first eight.

Queen is supposed to be the hub of communication, the green dot guy. That has been one of the Steelers' biggest problems of late.

Coupled with a Pro Football Focus grade of just 57.5 — 61st in the NFL, trailing both Elandon Roberts and Payton Wilson — it's similarly fair to question whether the Steelers are getting enough return on investment here.

(For what it's worth, I like Queen. I don't think their recent issues are all on him.)

There's also a lack of efficiency happening on the outside, specifically opposite T.J. Watt. While we've focused a bunch on the trade for Mike Williams and how little he's done since then, it's been similar with Preston Smith, who was surprisingly inactive for Wednesday's game.

Smith and Nick Herbig were actually solid when Alex Highsmith was out, but there hasn't been much of a rotation since Highsmith returned. It's not to diminish Highsmith's ability — I actually think very highly of him — but it makes me wonder if there's a better way to do this in 2025.

Do the Steelers really need to pay Highsmith $18.6 million (where his cap hit will jump from $6.7 million this season)? Or would it kill the Steelers to spend that money differently and entrust Herbig with a larger role?

I'm honestly not sure.

But I do know this: Given what they're spending, the Steelers must create more of an identity for themselves on the defensive side of the ball, something that obviously starts with coach Mike Tomlin and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin.

Having a turnover culture is great, and the Steelers still lead the NFL with 31 of those. But there will always be an element of randomness to them, as we've seen over the past handful of games. It's less so with playing a physical, in-your-face style, something we haven't exactly seen over the past three games.

"We just need to get back to work," Watt said. "We need to continue to find ways to get better, and as the season goes on, the margins are smaller."

I worry this season may already be lost. Mahomes and Jalen Hurts shredded this group with their arms. Derrick Henry did it with his legs. It's hard to imagine Joe Burrow not repeating his performance from Dec. 1 (28 of 38, 309 yards, three touchdowns), and I worry Lamar Jackson might've found something this past Saturday.

But when the Steelers invest as heavily as they have in defense, it's fair to lean on that group to win games in crunch time, to become an organizational strength and play to an identity that's obvious to the rest of the NFL.

That isn't what has happened here to a unit that seems to be facing more questions than solutions at the moment.

(c)2024 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.