The Steelers lost in ugly fashion to the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day, falling 29-10 at home to lose a third straight game.

Before the game, we polled Steelers fans about their confidence in the team. It wasn’t high then, and it’s unlikely it went up following the Steelers’ Week 17 loss.

Only 29% of Steelers fans were confident in the team ahead of Week 17

That’s right — less than 30% of Steelers fans were confident in the team’s direction ahead of the Chiefs matchup. It’s a big drop from last week’s 63%, and the 91% the week before that.

Unsurprisingly, NFL schedules can be a bit of a roller coaster.

The good news is that the Steelers have a guaranteed playoff berth despite the recent losses, and confidence can go up as fast as it goes down. With a mini bye week between the Chiefs’ loss and their season finale, the Steelers also have the time to implement some much-needed improvements.

Can the Steelers avoid their three-game losing streak growing to four? It matters not just for seeding, but also for momentum heading into the postseason.

Here are three keys for turning the Steelers around ahead of the regular season finale:

Fix communication issues on defense

This has been arguably the biggest problem in recent weeks for the Steelers. Thankfully, it’s also a feasible goal with some time off. Pittsburgh hasn’t been completely without talent in the defensive backfield, but even the healthy starters haven’t been on the same page. Against Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins, Pittsburgh can’t afford the constant busts in coverage.

Win the turnover battle

The Pittsburgh defense has had bad luck in the turnover battle the last two weeks, with missed opportunities to steal possessions. The offense has also had back-breaking giveaways in crucial moments. The Steelers’ winning formula this season has been playing smart on offense and being opportunistic on defense. They need to get back to that against the Bengals.

Avoid dead spells on offense

Really anything on the offensive side of the ball could’ve gone here — better quarterback play, better blocking, more receivers getting open… you name it. This Steelers offense needs a lot of improvements entering Week 18. However, most important is avoiding the streaks of consecutive three-and-outs that tire out the defense, frustrate the offense, and dig the Steelers into an early deficit. Pittsburgh doesn’t have to be perfect on offense, but they have to be able to adjust and sustain drives more than a handful of times a game.

Fortunately for the Steelers, they dropped 44 points on Cincinnati the last time these two teams met. The Bengals are a good matchup for getting back on track offensively.

Steelers-Bengals Week 18 scheduled for Saturday night

The Week 18 NFL schedule is finally here, and the Steelers’ mini bye week got a day shorter.

The Steelers’ regular season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals will kick off at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 4.

The game will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN.

In the 4:30 p.m. ET time slot ahead of the Steelers game, the Ravens and Browns will be kicking off in a game that will affect Pittsburgh’s playoff seeding. A Baltimore loss, and the Steelers will be playing for the AFC North and a home playoff game against the Chargers. A Ravens win, and Pittsburgh will be playing for the No. 5 seed and a playoff matchup against the Houston Texans.