It really feels like it is going to be a very long bye week for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Going into the bye on a two-game losing streak was bad enough. But losing the way they did on Sunday to the New England Patriots added a whole other layer to the misery. This was a sentiment first echoed by linebacker Ryan Shazier and punctuated by defensive end Cam Heyward.

When Heyward spoke to the media after the game he didn’t pull any punches about his disappointment in his defense. He was forced to watch from the sidelines as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury. But not being on the field didn’t stop the team captain from expressing his distaste.

“We had momentum going [into that drive]. It was 20-16, and we let them get that. And it was like we just quit. I don’t mean to say that lightly, but I just felt like we had so many opportunities out there.”

Quit is a strong word. There’s no doubt that long touchdown to Rob Gronkowski was a gut punch, but even in the final analysis, this unit was worn down by the Patriots offense all game long.

“It’s not that I saw it from one person. I just thought we should have made more [of a] stance by the defense. And we let them run the ball. There’s too many times when he’s falling forward and that’s not what we’re accustomed to.”

This group now has two weeks to right the ship. Sitting at 4-3 with the Baltimore Ravens next up on the schedule, the Steelers defense has to get things cleaned up. The AFC North is down this season, which leaves that top spot vulnerable. With the short-term future of QB Ben Roethlisberger unknown, it is going to come down the defense to keep Pittsburgh on top.