The Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Football Team are set to take the field on Monday. The Steelers are 11-0 on the season, and they must make sure not to overlook the 4-7 Washington Football Team.
The Steelers are coming off a gritty performance against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 12, which boiled down to a 19-14 final score. Washington is coming off a 41-16 win in Week 12, though it came against the lowly Dallas Cowboys. Still, while Pittsburgh is the clear favorite for this game, the focus needs to be there against a team playing a bit better of late.
Here are a few bold Steelers predictions for Monday's game.
4. Steelers record 3 sacks
The Steelers boast the No. 1 defense coming into Week 13, and that should bring about an easy outing if they maintain their same momentum against Washington.
Pittsburgh is set to tie the league record for consecutive games with at least one sack. Things could get ugly for Alex Smith against this outstanding defense. While Smith has been doing his due justice to will Washington to a playoff spot, he has had to deal with a good amount of pressure in the pocket.
Smith has been sacked a total of 15 times this season, which is quite a bit given he has only played five games. He was sacked three times against Dallas in Week 12, so it should be no sweat for the Steelers to pull off this same feat.
3. Benny Snell delivers
The Steelers will likely be without the services of James Conner once more in Week 13 as he recovers from COVID-19. The 25-year-old was having a successful year prior to testing positive for the virus, and he will likely return in Week 14. While he was eligible to play on Monday night, the Steelers are proceeding with caution.
With that, Benny Snell will be the next man up again. Snell finished Week 12 against the Ravens with 60 yards on 16 carries. Playing in only his second year, Snell is starting to make a name for himself. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has taken notice.
Snell wasn't able to score during his playing time last week, but we predict that will change this time around, even against a stellar Washington defense. Expect Snell to tally 85 yards via rushing while scoring at least two touchdowns.
2. Chase Claypool goes for 100-plus yards, 2 TDs
No one expected Chase Claypool to dominate like he has been doing this season. The Steelers have an array of weapons at their disposal downfield, yet somehow the rookie wideout leads the pack by the numbers. He's currently first on the team in reception yards with 611 while totaling 13.6 yards per reception. He also has a team-best eight touchdown receptions.
While Washington generally does an exceptional job playing pass defense, they also just got burned by Amari Cooper last week, as he finished with 112 yards on six catches. Taking that into consideration, Claypool will finish the contest with 100-plus receiving yards along with two touchdowns.
1. Ben Roethlisberger slightly disappoints
Ben Roethlisberger has been nothing short of amazing this season. As the field general, not much criticism can come your way when your team is sitting atop the league with an undefeated record. At 38, Roethlisberger is still capable of competing at the highest level.
Big Ben may not have his way on Monday, though. Washington has been tough on opposing quarterbacks this season. They rank second in passing yards allowed while ranking ninth in touchdowns allowed through the air.
In short, while he may be productive, Roethlisberger may not put up some of the gaudy numbers he has been accustomed to for much of this season.
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