NFL Week 13: Pittsburgh vs. Washington odds, preview, and pick

The Pittsburgh Steelers will look to stay unbeaten on the season, with their second game in six days, as the Washington Football Team visits Monday afternoon. 

The Steelers are favored by more than a touchdown, while the total is the lowest of Week 13 in the NFL.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Washington Football Team

Washington looking to bolster playoff hopes

This game is a very important for Washington’s push to make the playoffs. Even though the Football Team has just four wins, it is tied with the Giants for first place in the dismal NFC East. Washington boosted its playoff hopes with a 41-16 win over the Cowboys on Thanksgiving.

Now Washington is well rested, on a two-game win streak, and is improving with every game.

Quarterback Alex Smith has played much better over his last two starts, with 36 completions from 51 attempts. While his yardage totals have not been high, it has been enough to compliment a run game that has gained 349 yards in those two wins. Running back Antonio Gibson has picked up 209 of those yards and has scored four rushing touchdowns in the two victories.

The Redskins will need to run the ball on a tired Steelers defense to stay in this game. That won’t be easy, as the Steelers have allowed just five rushing touchdowns all season. However, if Washington can put Smith in situations where he won’t face an all-out pass rush, it will give the Football Team a chance to hang around.

It will also be imperative that Washington, which has the best pass defense in the league, limits the damage from Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, so that the Football Team doesn’t have to abandon the run.

If the second-best pass rush in the league can get a few sacks on Roethlisberger, things could get interesting.

How will the Steelers defense cope with loss of Dupree?

The Pittsburgh pass rush took a massive blow this week, when edge rusher Bud Dupree suffered a torn ACL in the win over Baltimore.

The Steelers' current franchise-tag player, Dupree was having a terrific season and was on pace for career highs in sacks and hurries. He ranked second on the team in sacks (eight) and has provided a ferocious compliment T.J. Watt on the other side.

Now, the Steelers must find a way to keep opponents from keying on Watt and slowing down a pass rush that has recorded a sack in 68 straight games, the second-longest streak in league history. They will look to Alex Highsmith to help fill that role.

Washington is at its best when it runs the ball, but the Steelers are a top 10 team against the run and allow fewer than five yards per play, which ranks third in the NFL.

Roethlisberger will face a dangerous pass rush, as well, led by Chase Young. However, he will also face a pass defense that allows the fewest passing yards per game. If the Steelers can get their run game going, that should help alleviate some of the pressure on the veteran quarterback.

Washington vs. Pittsburgh injury report

Washington may be without a key part of its pass rush, as Ryan Anderson is questionable. Offensive tackle Morgan Moses is also questionable, but fellow tackle Cornelius Lucas returned to practice and is expected to go this week, after two missed games. The same goes for safety Deshazor Everett, who also returned to practice, after two weeks away from the field.

Pittsburgh will be without Dupree for the rest of the season, while cornerback Steven Nelson is questionable. Jaylen Samuels is also questionable, and fellow running back James Conner is on the COVID-19 list. We likely won't know Conner's status until closer to game time.

Pittsburgh vs. Washington betting trends

Washington has covered in four of its last six games and has covered in three of its last four as an underdog. However, the Football Team has covered just once on the road this season. The total has gone Under in four of its last seven games, with one push.

Pittsburgh has won 11 straight games, and has covered in seven of its last nine games. The Steelers have also covered the last six games where the spread was a single-digit number. The total has gone Under in three of their last four, and they have allowed fewer than 20 points in each of their last four games.

While the Steelers are tired and banged up, this is a bad matchup for Washington. The Football Team needs to run the ball, and Pittsburgh is one of the best in the league at shutting down the run. Baltimore rushed for just 129 yards on 28 attempts, was able to convert just three of 13 third-down attempts, and ran just 49 plays.

The Pittsburgh passing attack is more dangerous than anything Washington has faced this season, at least since Arizona back in Week 2. Washington's two wins over the past two weeks have come against a Cincinnati team that lost Joe Burrow to injury and a Cowboys team that was led by Andy Dalton.

The Steelers will move to 12-0 with an easy, low-scoring victory.

Score Prediction: Pittsburgh 27, Washington 10

Picks: Pittsburgh -7.5, Under 42

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