MNF Prop Picks: Steelers vs. Bengals Predictions 9/16/13

Our Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals picks are set and ready to go at Bankroll Sports, but if you’re looking for a bit of a different way to take advantage of some of the Monday Night Football prop bets, you’ve come to the right place. Today, we’re going to be breaking down some of the best NFL props on the board for Monday Night Football, all of which come courtesy of Diamond Sportsbook.

Ben Roethlisberger Over 1.5 Touchdown Passes (-125) – It’s going to be tough to think that Big Ben is going to be held under two touchdowns again in this one. The Steelers have to have a better offensive team than what we saw last week out of the Titans, and we think that some are going to be fooled into thinking that they are going to just be a dud of a team offensively once again this season. What we do know though, is that there really isn’t much of a way to score a touchdown on this team otherwise. Roethlisberger can throw it to a suspect group of receivers, but the team just can’t run the football. It’ll be really, really tough to get into the end zone on the ground this whole year for Pittsburgh, and as a result, Big Ben is going to have to throw at least three quarters of the touchdowns to lead this team to victories.

Ben Roethlisberger Total Over 0.5 Interceptions (-200) – It’s a steep price, but Roethlisberger is going to get picked off at least two times out of three on the road against a Cincinnati defense that forces a ton of turnovers and puts all sorts of pressure on the quarterback. The implication is that Pittsburgh is going to throw the ball at least 36 times in this game, and if that turns out to be the case, we would need a pick in 2.8% of his passes. That’s not a bad ratio as it is, and Roethlisberger should oblige with at least one ball that gets taken back by a man dressed in red and black.

Giovani Bernard Over 49.5 Rushing + Receiving Yards (-115) – This might be a bit of a donkey play, but we think that the time is coming for Bernard to take over in the backfield over RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis. This is a good game to do it as well. RB Chris Johnson ran the ball a ton last week, and he ultimately didn’t get anywhere against a Pittsburgh defense that remains stout on the inside. That could give the opportunity to get Bernard in the game more often, as Green-Ellis is going to have a short leash before getting pulled. We don’t need a heck of a lot out of Bernard, and we know that he is going to be used in the passing game a bit as well. Getting to 50 yards isn’t out of the question, and it is something that could very easily happen on just seven or eight plays in the game.

Longest Touchdown of the Game Over 40.5 Yards (-115) – This is a matter of perception versus reality. The perception is there that the Steelers are going to score 10 points and 10 points only every single time they come on the field, and the perception is there that the Bengals are going to be able to hold this club down for most of the game. The reality is that the Steelers have no choice but to put the ball in the air quite a bit, and that might mean taking some shots down the field. The other reality? No one on the planet is successfully defending WR AJ Green, who can go off for a 40+ yard score at any given point.