Don’t look now, but the Chiefs sort of look like a super team again. It’s technically only two wins in a row, as Kansas City dropped its last appearance on Monday Night Football to Jacksonville in early October, but the Chiefs are averaging 31.5 points per contest dating back to Week 4. That sounds more like the early days of the Patrick Mahomes era, doesn’t it? The Commanders will be tasked with slowing Kansas City down this evening, though that’s far from Washington’s only worry. The team has lost its last two games and will once again be without star pivot Jayden Daniels.
Can the Commanders pull off a miracle on MNF? More importantly, who will score the first touchdown? Let’s break it all down.
Commanders vs. Chiefs First Touchdown Scorer Prop Bets
Rashee Rice First Touchdown Scorer (+600)
It’s just really hard to ignore how Rashee Rice was utilized last week against the Raiders. While the wideout only saw a 40.7% snap share in his first action back from a six-game suspension, Rice was clearly the focus of the offense when he was available. In the end, Rice saw a target on a whopping 47.4% of his 19 routes — the second-highest mark among all qualified skill position players in Week 7. It was where he was seeing these looks, as well. Rice garnered four targets inside the opponent’s 10-yard line, two of which he translated into touchdowns. For some context, Travis Kelce (+550) has seen three targets inside the opponent’s 10-yard line for the entirety of the season. You’d have to expect Rice’s overall role to grow as his conditioning improves week-to-week, and he should remain heavily featured in high leverage situations on Monday Night Football.
Chris Rodriguez Jr. First Touchdown Scorer (+5000)
Why not take a chance on an absolute long shot? Jacory Croskey-Merritt (+1200) has established a little bit more of a “bell cow” role the past few games, but he’s certainly not immune to being vultured at the goal line by Chris Rodriguez. In fact, it happened just last week against the Cowboys, with Rodriguez punching in a three-yard score late in the third quarter of a 44-22 defeat. Heck, for the season as a whole, it’s Rodriguez that leads the team in red zone rushing attempts (9); which definitely echos Dan Quinn’s comments from Training Camp on Rodriguez replacing the departed Brian Robinson Jr. as Washington’s short-yardage backfield option. Obviously there’s a reason Rodriguez is 50/1 on the DraftKings Sportsbook, but there’s a path to this prop hitting. That’s all you can really ask for.
