PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers knew heading into the season that it would take time for their defense to come together, or at least make progress as the season moved along. They were hoping a dynamic offense would carry them.

But after six games, the offense has scuffled for the most part while the defense has lived up to the preseason concerns.

The results have not been good; the Steelers lost to Tampa Bay at home, barely beat Jacksonville and were drubbed in Cleveland, 31-10, on Sunday to polish off what was supposed to be the soft part of their schedule, going 1-2. Some believe that they are lucky to be 3-3 at this point.

The Steelers have three consecutive homes games, starting with Houston on Monday night and then Indianapolis and Baltimore. They might be favored to win one of them. If they are to remain relevant, they probably have to win two of those three.

Changes loom if they do not get back on track soon.

“I love these guys,” defensive end Cam Heyward began, “but if we’re not getting the job done, they’re going to search elsewhere. I want everybody to be here, including myself, but if we don’t get the job done, this isn’t going to be a good season. We got to get out of this trading one-for-one, win for a loss. We have to regroup and get back at it.”

The offense consists of one of the best quarterbacks in the league, Ben Roethlisberger, a Pro Bowl wide receiver in Antonio Brown, a three-time Pro Bowl center in Maurkice Pouncey and halfback Le’Veon Bell, who leads the AFC in yards from scrimmage.

That offense ranks sixth in yards produced at 396.5 per game and sixth with 32.26 points per game, but that has not translated into points lately – 10 against Cleveland and 17 against Jacksonville (seven on a pick-six), teams ranked No. 31 and No. 32 respectively on defense when the Steelers played them.

MEDICAL WATCH: NT Steve McLendon had his right arm in a sling Sunday after spraining his shoulder, but the sling was gone by Monday. … S Mike Mitchell left the game with a sprained knee but seemed to be OK in the locker room afterward. There was no update on his injury Monday. … DE Brett Keisel has a left knee sprain. He wore a wrap on it Sunday evening in the locker room. There was no update on his injury Monday.

REPORT CARD VS. JAGUARS

PASSING OFFENSE: F – This is about as bad as it gets for Ben Roethlisberger, who completed a low of 50 percent of his passes (21 of 42 for 238) in a game for the first time since 2012. His throws were off, a few receivers dropped passes, he was sacked twice after moving into (and out of) field-goal range and he threw an interception. He had a 64.4 passer rating.

RUSHING OFFENSE: B-minus – The Steelers ran well for the most part with 138 yards on 32 carries and a 4.3-yard average per carry. Le’Veon Bell led the way with 82 yards on 18 carries. But with a first down at Cleveland’s 7-yard line on their second drive in a scoreless game, they ran three straight times for five yards and kicked a field goal.

PASS DEFENSE: D – Brian Hoyer had an even lower pass completion percentage than Roethlisberger, trying 17 passes and completing just 8. However, he accumulated 217 yards in those completions with one touchdown and a 113 passer rating. He was sacked just once.

RUSH DEFENSE: F – Once again, the Steelers could not stop the Cleveland ground game, which piled up 158 yards on 38 carries. That goes with the 191 the Browns had in the season opener against Pittsburgh. They ran for three touchdowns, or as many as the Steelers have run for all season long.

SPECIAL TEAMS: F – Punter Brad Wing bumbled a hold on a 35-yard field-goal attempt with the Steelers ahead 3-0. The Browns scored the next 31 points. Dri Archer ran back three kickoffs deep in the end zone and the Steelers started inside their 20 each time. There were two more penalties on special teams. Antonio Brown and Archer averaged 2.8 yards on four punt returns.

COACHING: F – Offense, defense, special teams, they all come in for poor grades on this one. The play-calling on offense was abhorrent, right from the start when they ran three straight on first down at Cleveland’s 7 and picked up only five yards. How could they continue to allow Archer to return kicks when he cannot even get them to the 20? And their defense is a shambles, perhaps undermanned but fooled as well by some wide-open passes to the tight ends.