Steelers vs Giants Props – MNF Best Team and Player Prop Bets for Week 1

• The Pittsburgh Steelers clash with the New York Giants on Monday Night Football (Sept. 14th, 7:10 pm EST)
• Pittsburgh led the NFL in pressure rate in 2019, and Daniel Jones averages just 5.9 yards per attempt under duress
• Read below for analysis and our favorite Monday Night Football prop bets

What a welcome sight it will be for Steelers nation when Ben Roethlisberger returns to action versus the Giants on Monday Night Football (Sept. 14th, 7:10 pm EST). Big Ben missed the final 14 games of the 2019 season and his presence was sorely missed.

*Ben Roethlisberger plays football this week*

Steelers fans:

pic.twitter.com/T8RbkPUbxF

— Across The Bridge (@ATBPGH) September 12, 2020

A year after finishing fourth in points per game, Pittsburgh fell to 30th last season without Roethlisberger, and finished next-to-last in passing yards per contest.

Luckily for him, he draws a cupcake matchup in Week 1, facing a New York defense that allowed the third most points and fifth most yards through the air.

Steelers vs Giants Player Props

Odds taken Sept. 13th

Not surprisingly, Roethlisberger’s squad is a strong road favorite in the Steelers vs Giants odds, but it’s not just because he’s making his return.

Pittsburgh’s defense has an overwhelming advantage against the G-Men’s offensive line, which is likely to make Daniel Jones’ life miserable for four quarters.

Prop #1: Daniel Jones Under 244.5 Passing Yards

Jones actually fared quite well in a clean pocket during his rookie season, but under pressure was a different story. He completed just 50% of his passes under duress and averaged only 5.9 yards per attempt. That spells trouble against this ferocious Steelers D that’s returning 10 of 11 starters.

What a play by TJ Watt! Strip Sack! #Steelers pic.twitter.com/tWX7ykAamt

— BlitzburghVideos ✨ (@BlitzVideos) September 12, 2020

Pittsburgh led the NFL in pressure rate, sacks and turnovers in 2019 and New York had a bottom-15 pass blocking unit according to Football Outsiders. Only four teams allowed fewer passing yards that the Steelers last season and Jones threw for 240 yards or less in 58.3% of his starts.

Pick: Jones Under 244.5 Passing Yards (-155), 2 Units

Prop #2: James Conner Over 64.5 Rushing Yards

In case you’ve been away from social media, James Conner has been working hard this offseason.

Pittsburgh Steelers RB James Conner is looking JACKED 🤯💪👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 pic.twitter.com/9w7HTfTQDE

— ♑Capricorn♑ (@kendell_m) May 29, 2020

Pittsburgh’s number one RB is looking to rebound from an injury plagued 2019 campaign, and reports out of Steelers camp is that he’s expected to handle a heavy load.

Conner, who averaged 4.5 yards per carry and crossed the 100-yard mark five times in 2018, draws a favorable matchup versus a Giants defense that allowed 144.5 rushing yards per game last season.

James Conner's best running sequence – week 8 vs. the Cleveland Browns, 2018 season. (Note the block by All-Pro Guard David DeCastro) #Steelers #SteelersFilm #HereWeGo #NFLTwitter pic.twitter.com/hwtE9pB7IL

— Black and Gold Nation – Steelers Draft Season (@B_GNation1) September 7, 2020

With game script likely in his favor, and lots of projected opportunity, Conner is set-up to smash.

Pick: Conner Over 64.5 Rushing Yards (-112), 1 unit

Steelers vs Giants Scoring Props

Prop#3: Ebron to Score First TD

Another Steeler in a favorable matchup is offseason acquisition Eric Ebron. The former first round pick is a major redzone threat, and New York haemorrhaged tight end production in 2019. The Giants allowed 73 catches and 8 touchdowns to that position, and Ebron has a knack for hitting paydirt.

Getting close to the Eric Ebron debut #Steelers pic.twitter.com/ll7rvchJOU

— Steelers Depot 🧐 (@Steelersdepot) September 13, 2020

In 2018, he scored 13 touchdowns and he’s been drawing rave reviews in training camp. Also working in his favor, is the loss of safety Xavier McKinney. The second round draft pick was selected to shore up the Giants pass defense, but is currently dealing with a broken foot.

While Ebron is a top value to score first, don’t sleep on JuJu Smith-Schuster’s TD outlook. Also coming off an injury plagued 2019, Smith-Schuster was a target monster when Big Ben last played, finishing the 2018 season with the sixth most catches (111) and fifth most receiving yards (1,426) in the NFL.

Sure this JuJu Smith-Schuster TD was nice but…. JUJU JUST GAVE BIRTH TO A FOOTBALL! 👶 pic.twitter.com/o1q6EiP0o4

— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) October 7, 2018

Smith-Schuster will run most of his routes against recently signed Logan Ryan, who allowed 7 TD in coverage last season, and earned a Pro Football Focus coverage grade of only 60.0.

Pick: Ebron to score 1st TD (+1300), Smith-Schuster to score anytime TD (+110)