Philip Rivers Player Prop Bets for Monday Night Football | Best 49ers vs. Colts Props Tonight

Philip Rivers showed enough in his first NFL start since 2020 to earn another for the Indianapolis Colts tonight when they host the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN) from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

While Shane Steichen and Co. stake their season on the 44-year-old passer, I'm a little less optimistic with my best Philip Rivers player prop bets for this MNF showdown - though I do like an Over bet in one key market as part of our NFL Week 16 predictions.

🏈 Philip Rivers player prop bets for Monday Night Football

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💰 Best Philip Rivers player prop for Monday Night Football

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Philip Rivers Under 27.5 yards longest completion (-110) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was my favorite bet on Rivers last week, and it was never in doubt with his longest completion topping out at 17 yards. It was one of just four completions exceeding 10 yards, and it sure felt that way watching it live.

The 49ers' pass defense isn't as stout as the Seahawks' historic unit - more on that later - but Rivers simply doesn't have the arm strength to push the ball downfield, and the Colts have clearly tailored their game plan accordingly with a heavy diet of short passes and Jonathan Taylor runs. Let's take advantage before the market overcorrects.

🔥 More Philip Rivers prop picks for Monday Night Football

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Philip Rivers Under 0.5 rushing yards (-155) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

There are only two reasons for a 44-year-old quarterback to tuck it and run: to evade pressure or make a truly game-changing play in short yardage. I don't expect this game to be close, and I don't expect the 49ers' toothless pass rush that get much pressure on Grandpa Rivers, either.

Rivers ran it exactly one time last week (for zero yards), and he looked every bit his age doing it. Incredibly, this exact player prop is dealing at shorter than -300 odds across the rest of our best NFL betting sites, so we're catching incredible value at these -155 odds for one of my best Rivers prop bets tonight.

Philip Rivers Over 0.5 passing touchdowns (-190) ⭐⭐⭐

As limited as Rivers was last week, he still managed to lead the Colts on a scoring drive late in the second quarter that ended with an easy strike over the middle to Josh Downs for his first touchdown pass in a half-decade.

The 49ers have allowed the 10th-most passing touchdowns this season (25), and they've surrendered at least one in each of their last 13 games. Even if you're skeptical of Rivers and his noodle arm, there's real value at these -190 odds, which would still turn a $52.63 profit on a $100 bet if he throws at least one TD for the 11th consecutive start.

👀 Best Philip Rivers futures bet

See the latest Super Bowl odds and NFL MVP odds following Week 16.

Philip Rivers to win Comeback Player of the Year (+4000) ⭐⭐

Let me be very clear about something: I do not expect Rivers to win this award having played a maximum of four games this season. But I also didn't expect Joe Flacco to beat out Damar Hamlin - who literally came back from certain death - when he played just five games for the Cleveland Browns to win CPOY honors in 2023.

What Rivers is doing this year is even more remarkable than what Flacco did two years ago, albeit with less statistical success. But what if that changes tonight? If Rivers can turn back the clock and somehow knock off the 49ers as a roughly 2/1 underdog to help keep Indy's playoff hopes alive, could he make a dark-horse run at this award?

I'm not suggesting anyone unloads the clip on this notoriously unpredictable futures market. But if you think Rivers has the chance to surprise tonight and over the final two weeks, I can't think of a better way to profit than this long-shot bet, which would turn a $10 bet into a $400 profit if he wins this award for the second time in his career (2013).

📺 How to watch Monday Night Football: 49ers vs. Colts

• Date: Monday, Dec. 22
• Kickoff: 8:15 p.m. ET
• Location: Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)
• TV: ESPN