2019 NFC Wild Card Player Props: Eagles vs Bears
- The Philadelphia Eagles visit the Chicago Bears on Sunday to close out Wild Card Weekend
- Who will win the quarterback duel between Nick Foles and Mitchell Trubisky?
- Can Philadelphia stop a resurgent Bears run game?
The lowest total of the week, the Philadelphia Eagles at the Chicago Bears is expected to be a slugfest.
But that doesn’t mean there won’t be any offense to profit off. Here’s three player props that we like in the Wild Card Weekend finale.
Prop #1: Jordan Howard To Have 74+ Rushing Yards & 1+ TDs
| Jordan Howard Props | Odds |
|---|---|
| At least 1 Rushing TD | -111 |
| At Least 74 Rushing Yards | -116 |
| Parlay | +175 |
*All odds taken 1/4
Over the last month of the season, the Bears finally got Jordan Howard integrated into Matt Nagy’s offense.
After topping 4 yards per carry just twice in the first 11 games, Howard closed the year strong, banging out 399 yards and four touchdowns in five outings.
He averaged 4.53 YPC over that stretch and never looked better than last week, when the Bears offensive line got a huge boost.
.@ChicagoBears with a new brand of power football. @Ky1eLong looks like he missed knocking hogs around and now possess a powerful run blocking OL. Let the playoffs begin. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/SNrX2sVB1y
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) December 31, 2018
With Kyle Long back clearing big holes, Howard should be able to get some gains going.
The strength of the Eagles defense is along the line where they rank second in stuffed runs. But once ball carriers get beyond the first level, Philly starts to crumble, as their linebackers are average and the secondary is atrocious.
If Chicago can win a few battles in the trenches, Howard will easily get into the open field where he can make plays.
#24's firin' on all cylinders. #CHIvsBUF | #DaBears pic.twitter.com/wOsLXxWqqf
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 4, 2018
It’s easy to imagine this game turning into a slug fest: some old school Bears football of defense and running. So take Howard to have himself a day in his first playoff appearance.
Pick: Howard Have At Least 1 Touchown & At Least 74 Rushing Yards
Prop #2: Nick Foles to have +306 passing yards
| Nick Foles Passing Yards | Odds |
|---|---|
| At Least 246 | -208 |
| At Least 266 | -116 |
| At Least 286 | +108 |
| At Least 306 | +141 |
| At Least 326 | +196 |
The Bears haven’t allowed a 300-yard passer since Brock Osweiler screen passes killed them in Week 6.
But that should be encouraging to bettors, because the short passing game will need to act as the run game for Philly. Nobody runs on Chicago’s D, certainly not the league’s 28th-ranked rushing attack.
So Foles will be throwing early and often in this one. But the Eagles line should be able to protect him a little from a fearsome Chicago front.
The Pittsburgh Steelers end the regular season atop our Offensive Line Power Rankings!
For the full list of where all 32 teams stack up:
? : https://t.co/qLnKefauRR pic.twitter.com/qaRZprSAQM
— PFF (@PFF) January 3, 2019
Even if the Bears front seven does get after Foles and causes havoc, that will lead to turnovers. Turnovers will lead to Philly falling behind by a lot. Philly falling behind by a lot means garbage time yardage.
Outside of Foles’ ribs not holding up for four quarters, it’s hard to not see a path to him getting near the number.
Pick 2: Nick Foles To Have At Least 306 Passing Yards
Prop #3: Mitchell Trubisky to have +23 completions
| Mitchell Trubisky Pass Completions | Odds |
|---|---|
| At Least 21 | -179 |
| At Least 22 | -118 |
| At Least 23 | +106 |
| At Least 24 | +139 |
| At Least 25 | +189 |
At least for now, it’s time to stop making Mitch Trubisky jokes.
The Bears second-year QB has grown a ton over the season, cutting down on his mistakes and making plays in key moments. Given his scrambling ability, he won’t be too fazed by the Eagles pass rush.
According to PFF, Mitch Trubisky finished the regular season with a better passer rating while under pressure than:
-Tom Brady
-Andrew Luck
-Aaron Rodgers
-Ben Roethlisberger
-Cam Newton
-Jared Goff
-Carson Wentz
-Marcus Mariota
-Pat Mahomes*Not a complete list.
— The Chicago Audible (@ChicagoAudible) December 31, 2018
While I do think Howard will have a good day, I don’t think that means Nagy will take the ball out of Trubisky’s hands in a big spot either. (He’s trusted him all season even when no one else has.)
Philly’s weakness is their banged up secondary and Chicago will have a gameplan designed to take advantage of it. Trubisky is averaging 20.6 completions per game this year.
Pick 3: Mitchell Trubisky To Have At Least 23 Pass Completions
Eric Thompson has been with SBD since 2015, serving as a sports betting expert in NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB. If you want someone who eats, sleeps, and breathes sports news and betting, Eric is your man. Having studied economics at university, he understands what value is and how to spot it.
