NFL: Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
USA Today

The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to stay undefeated on the season and move to 12-0 when they host the Washington Football Team on Monday at 5 p.m. ET. This game was rescheduled following the Steelers-Ravens matchup in Week 12 -- a game that was originally set for Thanksgiving night -- being moved three times due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the Baltimore organization. Because that game was played last Wednesday, the NFL decided to bump this game back to further cushion Pittsburgh's workload. Still, Mike Tomlin's club is in the midst of playing three games in 12 days, which will be quite the challenge as they try to remain the top seed in the AFC. 

As for Washington, they last played on the Thanksgiving holiday, where they defeated the Cowboys, 41-16. Rookie running back Antonio Gibson was the star of that contest as he rushed for three touchdowns and totaled 136 yards from scrimmage. Washington comes into this matchup on a two-game winning streak. 

In this space, we'll be diving into all the different betting angles that this game has to offer. On top of dissecting the total and the spread, we'll also look at a few player props that catch our eye and see how the lines have shifted throughout the week. All NFL odds are via William Hill Sportsbook. 

How to watch 

Date: Monday, Dec. 7 | Time: 5 p.m. ET
Location: Heinz Field (Pittsburgh, PA) 
TV: FOX | Stream: fuboTV (try for free)
Follow: CBS Sports App

Washington (4-7) at Steelers (11-0)

The Steelers were originally 10-point favorites and were 8.5-point favorites heading into the weekend, but there seems to be some confidence that Washington will be able to keep this game close. Leading up to this matchup, that spread had been driven down to Steelers -6.5, giving Ben Roethlisberger's undefeated squad not even a full touchdown edge. Of course, part of this could also come thanks to the Steelers playing such an unconventional schedule thanks to the three-times rescheduled matchup with Baltimore that was played on Wednesday. 

Pittsburgh is the 13th team to start a season 11-0 in the Super Bowl era. Of those 12 other teams, nine won their 12th game. The Steelers also have a pretty strong history of playing on Monday, winning 10 straight games dating back to 2014. While they are undefeated straight up, the Steelers are 8-3 ATS in 2020. 

Meanwhile, Washington is 3-2 SU and ATS over their last five games and has outscored its opponents by 52 points since Week 7, which is the fourth-best mark in the NFL over that stretch. While some may see Washington's extended rest as an advantage, history has proved otherwise. In its last 14 games on extended rest, Washington is 0-14 ATS and 1-13 SU (including nine-straight losses). 

Pittsburgh is the superior team from top to bottom, is playing at home and seems to have a chip on its shoulder after the league moved around its schedule. Given that added motivation, I expect the Steelers to not only win and remain undefeated but clear the 6.5-point spread as well. 

Projected score: Pittsburgh 24, Washington 14

Over/Under

As the spread moved a bit closer towards the center, the total jumped a bit as kickoff drew closer. This number opened at 42 on Thursday but has moved a full point-and-a-half to 43.5 on game day. While Washington's offense has popped off as of late, the Over has a combined 10-10-2 record between both of these squads heading into Week 13. 

Over this two-game winning streak, Washington is averaging 30.5 points per game, but they'll be going up against a much more stout defensive front in the Steelers than they did against the Bengals and Cowboys. Pittsburgh is allowing a league-low 17.1 points per game heading into this matchup and also lead the league in total takeaways, which doesn't give too much promise to Alex Smith and company. The Steelers have been a bit susceptible on the ground at times this year, but are still inside the top 10 of fewest rushing yards allowed. Washington's defense has also been tremendously strong as well, particularly along the front seven. That pass rush has helped Washington allow under 200 passing yards per game. Given how solid both defenses are, this game feels like a low-scoring affair that is dictated by a ground attack. 

Projected total: 38

Player props

Antonio Gibson total rushing yards: Over 46.5 (-115). While stout, the Pittsburgh defense is allowing over 100 rushing yards per game this season and just gave up 129 yards on the ground on 4.6 yards per carry to a depleted Ravens team. Gibson is getting hot over his previous two starts and should only continue to find success. This number seems a bit too low in my estimation, which makes it a smash play. 

Antonio Gibson total rushing attempts: Over 12.4 (+100). Over Gibson's previous five games, he's gone over this carry mark four times (including three straight) and is averaging 15 rushing attempts per game. He is arguably one of their best offensive weapons and will use him accordingly against Pittsburgh. 

Alex Smith total interceptions: Over 0.5 (-120). Smith has thrown interceptions in back-to-back games and the Steelers are the best at prying the ball away from the opposing offense. Might as well see if he makes it three in a row. 

Eric Ebron total receptions: Over 3.5 (-120). Since Week 7, Ebron is averaging over even targets per game and is coming down over four catches a game. In Pittsburgh's most recent game against Baltimore, Roethlisberger targeted his tight end 11 times in the win. With that kind of volume, he has a great chance to go Over this catch prop. 

Ben Roethlisberger total passing attempts: Under 38.5 (+100). The Steelers quarterback has not gone under this total since Week 8. After throwing a season-high 51 times on Wednesday, however, I'd imagine Pittsburgh would want to limit Big Ben a bit to keep him fresh as they go down the stretch run. I also expect this to be a rather low-scoring game that may not lead to Roethlisberger throwing all over the field.