The last time the Pittsburgh Steelers were preparing to face the Cincinnati Bengals, they ranked among the NFL leaders in points and yards against.

But that Dec. 1 meeting — a 44-38 Steelers win — turned the tide. Since, the Steelers’ defense has been reeling, both statistically and with what even coach Mike Tomlin referred to as “bickering” amongst themselves.

The Steelers see Saturday’s regular-season finale against the high-scoring Bengals as a chance for redemption and to re-establish themselves defensively as they embark on the playoffs.

“I feel like we all want to get that bad taste out of our mouths,” cornerback Joey Porter Jr. said of a December in which they allowed 376.6 yards and 28.4 points per game. “Going into this, this is a very personal game for all of us. We are taking this game very seriously, like every weekend. We are just trying to show everybody we know how to play defense.”

The Steelers carry a three-game losing streak — in which they have allowed an average of 30 points per game — into Saturday’s meeting with the Bengals, who dropped a season-high for points against them five weeks ago.

At the time, it seemed like an aberration for a unit that twice over the first 11 games of the season helped lead wins in which the Steelers’ offense did not score a touchdown. No team scored more than 27 against the Steelers in that time, but in four of the five games since, the opponent has hit at least 27 points.

A common theme has been wide-open receivers via missed assignments or poor communication.

“Teams are scheming us,” safety Minkah Fitzpatrick said. “They’re knowing we’re having some issues with motions, stacks and bunches. If you look at stuff we’ve been beat on or when guys are running open, it’s stuff that each team got from the last team. We made real big emphasis this week on those style of plays and even plays that can stem off from it, working on communication, everyone being on the same page and playing fast ball.”

Tensions, at times, have been running high among defensive players during the losing streak.

“When you’ve got lot of guys in a room who care about something and we’re not all in agreement, there is going to be conflict. There is going to be tension,” Fitzpatrick said. “Everybody has a strong personality. Everybody cares a lot. Everybody gives a lot to this team and organization. When you’ve got a lot of guys in the room that move that way and we aren’t seeing the success we want to see, there’s going to be tension.

“The important thing is after you have that conflict and those confrontations, that you ask each other what are we going to do differently. Not because of the confrontation but because of what caused it. Conflict, bickering, all that stuff is going to happen in a locker room. The important thing is to have a solution as to why.”

Led by Pro Bowl quarterback Joe Burrow, Cincinnati is a less-than-ideal opponent against which to “fix” things. But there’s no choice, not with the playoffs starting next weekend.

Steelers defensive players insist everyone is back on the same page and that no internal strife lingers.

“I feel like everybody is well prepared to step in make plays,” Porter said

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