Tag: monday night football
Dolphins Rams Pick, MNF Goes OVER
Week 9 MNF: Chiefs-Buccaneers Preview, Props & Prediction
The Chiefs try to keep their perfect season alive when they host the Buccaneers on Monday night.
Despite being 7-0, things haven’t gone smoothly for Kansas City with mounting injuries at skill positions.
Wide receivers Rashee Rice (knee), Hollywood Brown (shoulder), and Skyy Moore (groin) are all on injured reserve, while JuJu Smith-Schuster will miss a second straight week after reaggravating his hamstring.
Kansas City is also without starting running back Isiah Pacheco (fibula).
But the Chiefs moved quickly to add reinforcements, signing free agent running back Kareem Hunt and trading for veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
The Buccaneers won’t have much sympathy for the Chiefs. Tampa Bay lost top two best wide receivers, Chris Godwin (ankle) and Mike Evans (hamstring), to injuries in Week 7.
Back-to-back defeats dropped the Bucs to 4-4, and it’s unlikely that the team will be a buyer before the trade deadline.
As things stand, it’s difficult to see a path to victory for the Buccaneers in what figures to be a tricky spot on the road against the Chiefs.
Weather could lead to slow start for Buccaneers
While it’s fair to debate whether Kansas City is worthy of being a massive 9-point favorite, there are other factors we must consider for this matchup.
The weather could play a critical role as the forecast calls for extended periods of rain with wind.
Such conditions could be detrimental for the Bucs, who are more used to playing under clear skies and warm Florida sun.
If the Buccaneers fall behind, it’s difficult to see the offense gaining traction after consecutive double-digit losses.
Considering their injuries at wide receiver, the last thing you’d want if you’re Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is to throw a wet ball to receivers who lack significant reps with the first team.
The weather and limited options at wide receiver could make Tampa Bay’s offense look unbalanced.
Although there’s no disputing that the Buccaneers have one of the better rushing attacks in football, they’ll face a Chiefs team that ranks second in the FTN Fantasy Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA) against the run.
Kansas City is also one of four teams limiting opponents to under 100 rushing yards per game.
Offensively, the Chiefs are willing to take risks in the passing game. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes still has weapons at wide receiver with Hopkins, Xavier Worthy, Justin Watson, Mecole Hardman and the reliable Travis Kelce at tight end.
Teams have had their way with this Tampa Bay defense and the Bucs are being hit with big plays. The Buccaneers rank 31st in opponent yards per carry (5.2), and they’re tied for the league-worst in yards per play (6.0). Tampa allowed 15 TD passes in the first eight games of the season.
While the Buccaneers attempt to get their footing early in the game, watch for Kansas City to land a few haymakers, making the Chiefs’ first-half spread of -4.5 an intriguing option worthy of strong consideration.
Best bet: Chiefs 1H -4.5 (-110 at FanDuel)
Prop Shop: Kareem Hunt has become a central figure in the Kansas City offense since rejoining the Chiefs. With injuries at wide receiver and the Buccaneers giving up 131.6 yards and one rushing touchdown per game, Monday night should be no different.
Pick: Kareem Hunt 10-plus rushing yards in every quarter, +390
–Michael Nwaneri, Field Level Media
Tampa Bay Kansas City Prediction, MNF UNDER?
Raheem Morris, Falcons ready to turn the page after big MNF win
Following the Atlanta Falcons’ first win of the Raheem Morris era, the group knows it has little time to celebrate.
Trailing by three points with 1:56 remaining in Philadelphia against the Eagles on Monday, Morris’ team was given a 0.7 percent chance of winning by the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. After forcing a field goal, Kirk Cousins led a six-play, 70-yard scoring drive that was capped with a 7-yard game-winning touchdown to Drake London, giving the Falcons an improbable 22-21 win.
For the second time in two weeks, the Falcons will play on national television, as they host the back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on “Sunday Night Football.”
“When you play in these big-time moments and big-time games, you’ve got to be ready to turn the page pretty quickly,” Morris told reporters on Tuesday. “You’ve got to be able to evaluate, and assess what happened the night before. We’ll go find out what we can do better and then start to look at our opponent that’s coming up in the Kansas City Chiefs, because you better be ready for those guys.”
In the first “Monday Night Football” appearance for Atlanta since 2020, and first win since 2018, new faces shined for the Falcons. Cousins threw for 241 yards and a pair of touchdowns to help cement his first win in an Atlanta uniform.
At receiver, offseason additions Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud combined for six receptions totaling 130 yards and a score.
From the brink of starting the year 0-2, Atlanta’s comeback has given some relevance to a franchise searching for its first winning season and playoff appearance since 2017. Morris, 22-39 as a head coach in his career, saw a glimpse of what the Falcons can evolve into by year’s end.
“For me, it wasn’t as emotionally driven as it was for some of the players,” Morris said of the win. “But it pumps belief into them. … It creates an energy for these guys to be able to go out there knowing they can do anything at any time, like they proved (Monday) night.”
Atlanta, which will be underdogs for the second straight week, is playing on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” for the first time since 2019. The Falcons host the Chiefs for the first time since 2016, and are searching for their first win over Kansas City since Week 1, 2012.
–The Falcons signed inside linebacker Josh Woods to their practice squad on Tuesday.
Woods, 28, has played for three different teams since entering the NFL in 2019 and started seven of his 11 games with the Arizona Cardinals last season. He put up 61 tackles, one forced fumble and a half-sack for Arizona.
–Field Level Media
Bengals pull off OT win as Jags lose Trevor Lawrence (ankle)
Evan McPherson kicked a 48-yard field goal with 1:45 left in overtime to lift the visiting Cincinnati Bengals to a 34-31 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday night.
The Jaguars (8-4) lost quarterback Trevor Lawrence to a right ankle injury after left tackle Walker Little stepped on Lawrence late in the fourth quarter. The QB tossed his helmet aside in frustration and left the game for backup C.J. Beathard. Lawrence could not put any weight on his ankle as he left the field.
Lawrence completed 22 of 29 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns before exiting the game.
Beathard fumbled on his first play, but it was recovered by Jaguars receiver Parker Washington. Beathard then directed a drive that ended when Brandon McManus connected for a 40-yard field goal with 26 seconds left in regulation to make it 31-31 and force overtime.
Beathard completed a 43-yard pass to Calvin Ridley down to the Cincinnati 2 in overtime, but Anton Harrison was called for holding to bring the play back. Two plays later, Jacksonville punted.
Cincinnati quarterback Jake Browning, making his second career start due to Joe Burrow’s season-ending wrist injury, then led the Bengals (6-6) on a drive that ended with McPherson’s game-winning field goal.
Browning had a career game, completing 32 of 37 passes for 354 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a score.
Cincinnati receiver Ja’Marr Chase had 11 catches for 149 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown.
McPherson kicked a 54-yard field goal with 2:28 left in regulation to give the Bengals a 31-28 lead.
The Jaguars went down the field with little resistance on their first drive of the game, which was highlighted by a 26-yard pass to Christian Kirk. However, Kirk sustained a groin injury on the play. He left the game and did not return.
Travis Etienne ended up capping the drive with a 4-yard TD run for a 7-0 lead.
Things were tied at 14-all at the break after a pair of rushing touchdowns by the Bengals’ Joe Mixon — from 6 and 2 yards out — sandwiched Lawrence’s 22-yard scoring strike to Evan Engram.
The Bengals captured the momentum early in the third quarter when Browning tossed a perfect pass down the left sideline to Chase, who gave Cincinnati a 21-14 lead with his 76-yard TD.
Lawrence threw for a touchdown and rushed for another to put the hosts ahead 28-21 with 3:10 left in the third quarter. Browning plunged into the end zone from the Jacksonville 1 early in the fourth to set up the tight finish.
–Field Level Media
NFL’s first-ever ‘MNF’ flex bumps Chiefs-Patriots for Eagles-Seahawks
The Philadelphia Eagles-Seattle Seahawks Week 15 game will be played on Monday, Dec. 18, marking the first flex in “Monday Night Football” history.
Bumped to make room for the battle of the birds, the Kansas City Chiefs and Patriots will play the day before — Sunday, Dec. 17 at 1 p.m. ET — a step that prevents New England (2-9) from making three consecutive primetime appearances.
The Seattle-Philadelphia game moved to Monday was previously scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 17 at 4:25 p.m. ET.
The NFL also made official the Week 15 tripleheader on Saturday, Dec. 16.
The Minnesota Vikings are at the Cincinnati Bengals (1 p.m. ET), followed by the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Indianapolis Colts (4:30 p.m. ET) and the primetime Saturday finale featuring the Denver Broncos at the Detroit Lions (8:15 p.m. ET).
In other Week 15 scheduling news, the Atlanta Falcons-Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears-Cleveland Browns games will be played Dec. 17 at 1 p.m. ET.
–Field Level Media
Jets-Bills sets “Monday Night Football” viewership mark
The “Monday Night Football” game between the visiting Buffalo Bills and New York Jets drew more than 22.6 million viewers, the most since ESPN began airing the NFL broadcast in 2006.
The game featured the much-anticipated Jets debut of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who exited after tearing his left Achilles tendon on his fourth snap.
Despite Rodgers’ early departure, the Jets beat the Bills 22-16 in overtime on Xavier Gipson’s 65-yard punt return for a touchdown. The Jets announced on Tuesday that Rodgers would miss the rest of the season.
The game, which aired on ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPN+, and ESPN Deportes, broke the network’s record that was set in 2009, when the Green Bay Packers faced their former quarterback Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. That game drew 21.8 million viewers.
The viewership total for this year’s season opener of “Monday Night Football” was up 14 percent from last year’s opener (Denver Broncos vs. Seattle Seahawks) that drew a then-record 19.8 million viewers for a Week 1 Monday night contest.
The breakdown for the Monday viewership included 11.7 million watching on ABC, 9.4 million on ESPN and 1.52 million on ESPN2, which aired the “ManningCast” alternate feed featuring Peyton Manning and Eli Manning.
Sports Business Journal noted that the total MNF viewership this week topped the most recent totals for the College Football Playoff final, the men’s NCAA Tournament final, the Kentucky Derby, the Oscars and the Grammy Awards.
–Field Level Media
Chargers at Colts: MNF Preview, Prop Picks, Prediction
The Los Angeles Chargers roll into Indianapolis for Monday Night Football knowing a victory clinches a playoff spot.
The Chargers (8-6) are riding a two-game winning streak and face a reeling Colts team coming off an historic 33-point collapse against Minnesota. The Colts (4-9-1) are without star running back Jonathan Taylor for the remainder of the season and are turning to Nick Foles, who will be their third starting quarterback this year.
Indianapolis has lost four consecutive games following an opening win for interim coach Jeff Saturday and has been eliminated from playoff contention.
The Chargers opened as 4.5-point favorites at BetMGM, but the line has moved to 3.0 with the Colts drawing 81 percent of the spread-line action. The 4.0-point line at DraftKings has seen the Chargers backed by 77 percent of the spread bets and 67 percent of the handle.
“Indianapolis was up 33-0 last week in an NFL game,” Chargers coach Brandon Staley said. “That’s very difficult to do. The reason why they were is because they have a lot of good players and they have a lot of good coaches.”
PROP PICKS
Chargers RB Austin Ekeler Anytime TD (+450 at DraftKings): Ekeler has been the most popular prop play at both sportsbooks for good reason. He has 14 total touchdowns on the season, including at least one in nine of his past 11 games. His odds to score Monday night have a slightly smaller payout at BetMGM (+400). The Colts are allowing 123.7 yards per game on the ground and enter the game 25th in the NFL in giving up an average of 24.1 points.
Colts WR Parris Campbell Under 38.5 Receiving Yards (-115 at BetMGM): This has been the third most popular player prop at the sportsbook. Campbell has topped this mark in seven of his 14 games this season but is averaging only 4.3 targets over his past four games. What his role in the passing game is with Foles under center remains to be seen, but he’s fighting for targets behind Michael Pittman along with rookie Alec Pierce.
Over 44.5 Total Points (-100 at BetMGM/DraftKings): The total has been shifting downward all week, opening at 47.5 points at BetMGM, where 57 percent of the bets and 61 percent of the money has backed the Under. The action has been more split at DraftKings with the money 50/50 and the Over drawing 56 percent of the bets. The Chargers enter 21st in total defense and are just below the Colts in points allowed per game at 24.3.
INJURY REPORT
Chargers: S Derwin James (quad) is expected to return after missing the past two games, but DE Joey Bosa (groin) does not appear ready yet. DB Kemon Hall (hamstring) is officially out.
Colts: Taylor (ankle) is out along with CB Kenny Moore II (leg) and TE Kylen Granson (ankle). CB Brandon Facyson (illness) and WR Mike Strachan (concussion) are slated to play.
PREDICTION
Foles is accustomed to the relief role, having guided Philadelphia to a Super Bowl title after replacing an injured Carson Wentz in Week 14 in 2017. He could provide a steadying influence to the Colts’ lackluster offense, but he can’t fix the offensive line or running game woes. The Chargers are peaking at the right time and will be highly motivated to lock up a playoff spot before the New Year. — Chargers 27, Colts 20
–Field Level Media
Chargers, finally off and running, prepare for slumping Broncos
Showing more of the identity that was expected of them, the Los Angeles Chargers will play host Monday night to a Denver Broncos team searching for answers.
The Chargers have moved away from consecutive defeats, including one where they were dominated by the Jacksonville Jaguars, by earning consecutive victories. The latest was an impressive 30-28 showing on the road against the Cleveland Browns last week.
After working his way through a rib cartilage injury, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was an effective 22 of 34 for 228 yards and a touchdown. But the true star of the game was Los Angeles running back Austin Ekeler, who revived what had been a dormant rushing attack.
The Chargers entered last week with an NFL-worst 64.5 rushing yards per game. They changed all that when Ekeler rushed for a career-best 173 yards with two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving), while Los Angeles had 238 yards total on the ground. It was the team’s most in a game since 2018.
Out of the basement rushing-wise, the Chargers moved up 10 spots, now at 99.2 yards per game.
“It wasn’t anything crazy that we changed schematically,” said Ekeler, who was running behind an offensive line that was without Pro Bowler Rashawn Slater (biceps). “I think it was just we were starting to attack the weakness of their defense, which we felt like was in their interior. We were able to get those guys up front moving people.”
The adjusted line included rookie Jamaree Salyer, who earned rave reviews.
“It’s been a team effort,” coach Brandon Staley said. “It starts with that premise. It takes a team effort to play like that. It’s not just the O-line. It’s their coaches. It’s the skill players around them. It’s the protection plan, the run-game plan.”
The Broncos’ offense could use a premise at this point.
New quarterback Russell Wilson has not been the savior Denver was looking for, with the Broncos’ 12-9 defeat against the Indianapolis Colts last Thursday earning mockery and scorn for offensive ineptitude from both teams.
Wilson and new head coach Nathaniel Hackett remained at Wilson’s locker long after the game had ended, forming their own private support group.
“Let’s face it, the offense has had too many negative plays,” Hackett said this week. “Just too many things that have put us in rough positions.
“For the offense, we just have to put those basic things together and not have those things that are self-inflicted. Once we do that, I think it’s going to be a good football team.”
Despite a partially torn right lat that required a recent injection, Wilson is expected to play Monday as the Broncos use a 10-day window between games to their advantage. Denver guard Quinn Meinerz (hamstring) was one of 12 limited participants in practice but is expected to play. Running back Melvin Gordon III (neck, ribs), a former Charger, also was limited.
“One thing I know about myself is I’m going to respond,” Wilson said after last week’s defeat. “I don’t know any other way. I always believe in myself. I always believe in this team. I believe in what we can do. I believe in what I can do.”
After missing the last four games, Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen (hamstring) was a limited participant in practice Thursday, as were kicker Dustin Hopkins (quad) and tackle Trey Pipkins III (knee).
–Field Level Media