In the standings, the Monday Night Football game is critical. The Steelers need to keep pace in a crowded AFC wild card field, and the Bears need to keep their season from going straight down the tubes. These NFL player props could also be critical when it comes to how you finish your weekend of NFL wagering.
Ben Roethlisberger – Over 249.5 Passing Yards
Is it very true that he is struggling to throw the football more than 10 yards at this stage of Ben Roethlisberger’s? But what is also true is that in the face of an excellent Cleveland Browns pass rush, he just had a game with 266 passing yards.
Two weeks before that, against another good defense, he threw for 253 yards against the Broncos.
Roethlisberger’s numbers are low, but so is this line. In three of his last five games, he’s gone for 253 or more (including 318 against the Bengals), and he’s facing a Bears team that just gave up over 300 yards passing to Jimmy Garoppolo.
As much as it may buck the current narrative, the numbers back it up. Take Big Big and the over as one of the better NFL player props on Monday.
Justin Fields – Over 34.5 Rushing Yards
The Chicago Bears lost last week, but they won in a big way when they saw exactly what they have in rookie quarterback Justin Fields. There is no reason that he can’t become a running threat on a par with Lamar Jackson.
It started three weeks ago with 43 rushing yards against the Packers. Two weeks ago, against the front-seven of the Bucs, he ran for another 38. Then on Sunday, against the solid front of the 49ers, he exploded for 103 yards rushing, and one of the best touchdown runs you will ever see.
JUSTIN FIELDS ARE YOU SERIOUS?! #DaBears
📺: #SFvsCHI on FOX
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/i8nVWJPukV— NFL (@NFL) October 31, 2021
The Steelers are another defense that can get after the quarterback, and the best way to slow down that pass rush is to force the defense to respect the quarterback’s run.
The Steelers have yet to play the Ravens this season, but they faced Josh Allen and the Bills in Week 1, and he ran for 44 yards. Expect a similar number for Fields, as he easily goes over 34.5 rushing yards on Monday night.
Diontae Johnson – Over 75.5 Receiving Yards
The Steelers have developed a pretty good one-two punch at wide receiver with Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool, but Johnson has emerged as the most consistent target for Ben Roethlisberger.
He has 40 catches, to 26 for Claypool, and Johnson leads in targets 63 to 47. He’s gone for at least 71 yards receiving in five straight games, and that includes three games of 90 yards or more, including last week’s 98 yards against Cleveland.
Diontae Johnson is on pace to finish the season with:
110 Catches
1203 Receiving Yards
10 Receiving TDsWR1🧃🆙@Juiceup__3 pic.twitter.com/tWidDhd65N
— TJWattBurner (@NajeeHarrisGoat) October 30, 2021
The Bears’ secondary has struggled against number one wide receivers, giving up 171 yards to Deebo Samuel last week, 111 yards to Chris Godwin the week before, and 89 yards to Davante Adams three weeks ago.
Johnson keeps his big numbers coming on Monday and goes over 75.5 receiving yards.