A little over a year ago, reports surfaced regarding Washington owner Dan Snyder's interest in hiring Mike Tomlin to be his team's next coach. A lot has changed over the past 14 months. Tomlin, who at that time was navigating through an 8-8 season, has now led the Steelers to an 11-0 start. Washington has not only changed names over that span, they've also changed coaches, as former Panthers coach Ron Rivera has led the Football Team two consecutive wins after a 2-7 start.
A playoff atmosphere will certainly be present inside Heinz Field on Monday. Washington needs a win to keep pace with the Giants in the NFC East division race. The Steelers need a win to stay ahead of the 11-1 Chiefs in the race to earn the AFC's No. 1 seed. Washington comes into Monday's game with an advantage, as they have had 10 days off since blowing out the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. Conversely, the Steelers are just five days removed from their underwhelming 19-14 home victory over the undermanned Ravens.
This is the second-straight game the Steelers will play that was moved from its original date, after facing the Ravens in a postponed game last Wednesday. The Steelers were originally to face Washington on Sunday in Week 13, but due to the three delays for the Week 12 game against Baltimore, it will be played as the first of two games today, followed by Bills-49ers on Monday Night Football.
Before we preview Monday's Washington-Steelers game, here's how you can follow the action in real time.
How to watch
Date: Monday, Dec. 7 | Time: 5 p.m. ET
Location: Heinz Field (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
TV: FOX | Stream: fuboTV (try for free)
Follow: CBS Sports App
Preview
Monday's game will feature the top-two candidates to win this year's Comeback Player of the Year in quarterbacks Alex Smith and Ben Roethlisberger. Smith, who underwent 17 surgeries after suffering a compound leg fracture in 2018, has gone 2-1 as Washington's starter this season. In his first three starts, the 36-year-old Smith completed nearly 70% of his passes for 705 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Smith has gained a quick rapport with second-year receiver Terry McLaurin, who has caught a team-high 69 passes for 963 yards and three touchdowns. Washington's offense has been buoyed by the recent emergence of rookie running back Antonio Gibson, who has rushed for 645 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging 4.6 yards per carry. He scored six touchdowns in Washington's previous three games that include his three touchdowns on Thanksgiving Day.
While Washington's offense has leaned heavily on McLaurin and Gibson, the Steelers' offense has relied on Roethlisberger spreading the wealth. Roethlisberger, who has thrown 25 touchdowns and just six interceptions this season, has completed at least 23 passes to six different teammates. JuJu Smith-Schuster leads the way with 66 catches for 572 yards and six touchdowns. Receivers Diontae Johnson, James Washington and new tight end Eric Ebron have caught a combined 122 passes and 11 touchdowns. Rookie Chase Claypool has been a big play magnet so far, as he leads the Steelers' skill players with 10 total touchdowns. And while their running game is still in the bottom third of the league, Tomlin continues to have faith in his running backs, as Benny Snell (who tallied 93 total yards in last week's win over Baltimore) is expected to make his second consecutive start in relief of James Conner.
While their offense is still a work in progress, Washington's defense has made big steps under Rivera and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. They've gone from 27th to seventh in the league in scoring over the past two seasons. Washington, who received a pick-six by defensive end Montez Sweat to cap off their Thanksgiving win in Dallas, has allowed just three touchdowns over their past six quarters. Washington's defense entered Week 13 with the NFL's best red zone defense, second-ranked pass defense and 10th ranked third down defense. Along with Sweat (who leads the team with six sacks), Washington's defense has received solid individual efforts from defensive end Ryan Kerrigan (5.5 sacks, defensive tackle Tim Settle (five sacks), rookie defensive end Chase Young (4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles), cornerback Kendall Fuller (four interceptions) and linebacker Jon Bostic, a former Steeler who leads Washington with 76 tackles. The group will have their work cut out for them on Monday, as the Steelers' offensive line has not allowed a sack of Roethlisberger since Week 8.
Pittsburgh will be playing its first game after losing outside linebacker Bud Dupree for the season with a torn ACL. Dupree, who is second on the Steelers with eight sacks, will be replaced by rookie Alex Highsmith and third-year veteran Ola Adeniyi. It's unknown how Dupree's absence will impact fellow outside linebacker T.J. Watt, the reigning AFC Defensive Player of the Month. While offenses may look to avoid Watt by running more of their plays towards the right side of Pittsburgh's defense, they'll be met by three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Cam Heyward and veteran inside linebacker Vince Williams. Pittsburgh's defense has also enjoyed Pro Bowl caliber seasons from cornerback Joe Haden (10 passes defensed) and free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who leads the Steelers with four interceptions. The Steelers' defense, No. 1 in the NFL in scoring, sacks and turnovers forced, will be without cornerback Steven Nelson on Monday. He will be replaced by, Cameron Sutton, a four-year veteran who recorded an interception in Pittsburgh's Week 6 win over Cleveland.
The Steelers will probably not have former Pro Bowl kicker Chris Boswell, who is dealing with a hip injury. If Boswell can't go, the Steelers will turn to Matthew Wright, who came to Pittsburgh for a workout late last month. Wright, who was initially signed by the Steelers after going undrafted in 2019, made 77.4% of his kicks during his career at Central Florida.
Prediction
The Steelers will be motivated to show that they are as good as their record, specifically after they received a public scolding from Tomlin immediately following last Wednesday's unimpressive win. On offense, the Steelers' receivers will be looking to bounce back after dropping a plethora of passes against the Ravens. Defensively, the Steelers will try to consistently put pressure on Smith (who has been sacked 15 times in five games) while containing McLaurin and Gibson. Pittsburgh may not cover the spread, but they should be able to keep their undefeated record in tact for at least one more week.
Score: Steelers 22, Washington 13
