Philip Rivers and the 8-6 Indianapolis Colts will play host to the 10-4 San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football with major playoff implications.
Old Man Rivers shocked the football world last week when he returned from retirement and almost defeated the Seattle Seahawks on the road.
Here are my top NFL player props for our 49ers vs Colts predictions, with a spotlight on Philip Rivers odds, on Monday, December 22.
Philip Rivers prop pick
Philip Rivers best bet: Longest completion Under 27.5 yards (-105 at bet365)
Following a five-year absence, 44-year-old grandfather Philip Rivers made an impressive return for the Indianapolis Colts. However, it was only impressive because of the situation, and he almost pulled off a tough road win. The stats were anything but.
Rivers finished the game 18-for-27 for 120 yards with one touchdown and one interception. That is an average of 6.7 yards per completion and 4.4 yards per attempt. His longest completion was only 17 yards to Tyler Warren.
He averaged just 4.7 air yards per target and had a 2.36-second average time to throw, which is the ninth-quickest by any quarterback in a game this season. He completed only 2 of 8 attempts for 33 yards and an interception on passes with at least 10 air yards.
The San Francisco 49ers defense ranks 10th in the NFL in defending passes between 10-19 air yards and third in yards after catch over expected on passes under 10 air yards. Their weakness has been allowing several long passes over 20+ air yards, but Rivers no longer has the arm to complete those types of passes.
This is going to be a run-heavy game for the Colts with lots of play-action mixed in. However, those will be designed for quick passes and not deep shots. It is always possible that a player makes a big run after the catch, but the Niners are solid at preventing that.
Philip Rivers same-game parlay
Philip Rivers Under 159.5 passing yards
Alec Pierce Under 1.5 receptions
Philip Rivers Under 0.5 rushing yards
We can’t use our best bet in a same-game parlay, but we can pivot that to take his Under on passing yards. I will also add deep threat Alec Pierce to stay below his reception total.
Finally, Rivers technically had one carry for zero yards last week on a fluky fumble, but I would be shocked if he ran forward at all in this game.
Bet on MNF at bet365!
Your Monday Night Football bets are never ordinary at bet365! Sign up now and by placing $5 on your first bet, you get $150 in bonus bets — win or lose!
*Eligible U.S. locations only
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
