Week 13: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Washington Football Team

Jordan DeFigio, @fidgenewton

We return to (semi) regularly scheduled programming with the Pittsburgh Steelers prepping to take on the Washington Football Team this Monday, December 7th at 5:00PM EST. The game will be regionally broadcasted on Fox, and here's what we can look forward to.

MATCHUPS AT A GLANCE

Washington is pretty good. And getting better. Their defense is scary, with rookie Chase Young living up to the hype that naturally surrounds the second overall pick of any draft. Young has 27 total tackles and 4.5 sacks, and his speed and intuition make him difficult to defend against.

That's just nasty.

The entire front seven for Washington will be a difficult undertaking for the offensive line. Former Steeler, Jon Bostic leads the team in tackles at 42, and Montez Sweat leads the team in sacks with 6. With Maurkice Pouncey still out and JC Hassenauer in, veterans like David DeCastro and Alejandro Villanueva are going to have to elevate their play to protect Ben Roethlisberger and give him enough time in the pocket to make smart passes. Which he'll need, going up against cornerback Kendall Fuller who leads the team in interceptions at 4. James Conner, who was placed on the COVID/Reserve list last week, will be eligible to be removed from that list and suit up on Monday. In order to take full advantage of this Washington defense, they will most likely need to establish an effective run game. Hopefully they can do that with Conner back.

Bud Dupree is out. That loss hurts. But the team has complete confidence in Alex Highsmith to step in and be the next man up. Highsmith has impressed any time he's set foot on the field, and he's ready for the opportunity to start against Washington.

Reinstating Stephon Tuitt could not have come at a better time, as the Steelers' line will need all the strength they can get against a Washington offense that is on the rise.

Alex Smith has done well in his handful of starts returning from his devastating injury. Smith has thrown 107 completions on 155 attempts for 1,067 yards and 3 touchdowns across 5 games. Not too bad for a guy whose injury not only could have ended his career, but could have ended his life. He's a fighter and he's no doubt wanting to carry this team to the postseason. Leading the team in targets from Smith is Terry McLaurin, ho has 69 receptions for 963 yards and 3 touchdowns. And along with Smith and McLaurin, Antonio Gibson has been impressive in the backfield. Gibson has 645 yards on 139 attempts and 11 touchdowns.

This Washington team is not to be taken lightly. They may be 4-7, but they're going to give the Steelers a run for their money at Heinz Field.

JORDAN'S PREDICTIONS

I feel the need to reiterate how wrong I have been every single week, so take this prediction with a grain of salt.

But I think the Steelers suffer their first loss of the season on Monday. Washington is better than their record and I think with the NFC East still up for grabs, they're going to make a big push until the end of the season. It might be another close one, but I see the Steelers going down in a low-scoring defensive struggle.

FINAL MUSINGS

I just said it, but I'll say it again - the NFC East is anyone's to claim. Washington is currently second with a 4-7 record sitting only behind the New York Giants who hold the number one spot all thanks to a 20-19 over the Washington Football Team earlier this season. They beat the Dallas Cowboys comfortably on Thanksgiving and looked very good doing so.

What are your predictions for the game tomorrow? Let us know in the comments below.

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