The Pittsburgh Steelers' defense has been a massive disappointment, and Cam Heyward seems to have had enough. The veteran defensive tackle expressed his frustration Sunday night following a 35-25 loss to the Green Bay Packers at Acrisure Stadium.

"You gottta handle adversity a lot better," Heyward told reporters after the game. "This game eroded in the second half, and big plays were the death of us. You're not going to be perfect out there, but you've got to keep fighting. I just think there is not enough fight on our side."

The defense collapsed in the second half after the Steelers built a 16-7 halftime lead. The Packers scored 28 points in the second half, including 21 in the fourth quarter.

The Steelers (4-3) have allowed 31 points in four of their seven games this season and got burned for 454 total yards by the Packers. Coming into the game, the Steelers were 28th in the NFL in total defense and did nothing to improve that standing. The season has become nightmarish for the defense, despite it being the highest-paid unit in the league, and the Steelers still holding a ½-game lead in the AFC North over the Cincinnati Bengals (4-4)/.

"You know, we all have to own it," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "Certainly, you start with the schematics because that's the leadership component of it. Certainly, we'll be looking at everything that we're doing because some of these problems are somewhat repetitive. We're not getting better fast enough."

Packers quarterback Jordan Love completed 29 of 37 passes for 360 yards and three touchdowns. The most frustrating part for the Steelers was that their pass rush put only slight pressure on Love and failed to register a sack for the third time in four games.

The Steelers also couldn't match up with Tucker Kraft on National Tight End Day. He had seven receptions for 143 yards and two touchdowns. A whopping 128 of those yards came after the catch.

"We mentioned at the top of the week that we thought this guy was an elite run-after guy," Tomlin said. "I told (the media) that, and he proved it."

The Steelers knew Kraft was a threat after the catch, but let him run wild. It's not the first time this year, and it won't be the last unless something changes quickly.

'I think you just got to do it at practice. We do it at practice. I think when you get to the game and something goes left, you kind of get a little timid or whatever you want to call it from that," Steelers inside linebacker Patrick Queen said. "I think you just got to hone in, lock in, and just be ready for the next play and the next play and the next play. Just keep going. It's a warrior's game. Things ain't going to always be perfect, but you got to battle back."