I’m looking at the DraftKings Sportsbook as I’m writing this, and I regret to say that there isn’t any Black Friday deals on the first touchdown scorer odds for this afternoon’s 3:00 p.m. ET contest between the Bears and the Eagles. However, that definitely doesn’t mean there isn’t any value.
Who will cross into the end zone first in this clash between division-leading NFC foes? Let’s make some picks.
Bears vs. Eagles First Touchdown Scorer Prop Bets
Jalen Hurts First Touchdown Scorer (+550)
Jalen Hurts hasn’t been finding the end zone with his legs this season as often as he has in the past, but the Alabama product still has eight rushing touchdowns through 12 weeks — double the output of Saquon Barkley (+500). Part of me thinks Nick Sirianni could overcompensate and feed his running back the ball on Friday, especially after Barkley only saw 10 carries in Sunday’s surprising loss to the Cowboys. His legs are fresh! At the same time, the “Tush Push” has continued to be one of the most successful goal line plays in NFL history. Why mess with a good thing? Within five yards of the end zone, Hurts has seen a whopping 73.3% of the Eagles’ rushing attempts, which constitutes the sixth-highest share in the league. In fact, it’s only percentage points behind the roles of “bell cows” like Josh Jacobs and Christian McCaffrey. The Bears have allowed an NFL-high 1.7 opponent rushing touchdowns per game across their past three matchups. I could easily envision Hurts finding pay dirt early on in this one and exploiting Chicago’s defensive weakness.
Rome Odunze First Touchdown Scorer (+1500)
The Bears are pretty large road dogs in this tilt, which partially explains Rome Odunze’s rather long first touchdown scorer odds, yet this still seems like such an obvious buying window for the sophomore wideout that leads Chicago in every single major receiving statistic. A couple of those stats that are the most relevant to his prop? Receiving touchdowns (6) and red zone target share (26.8%). The Bears’ rushing attack is a headache to figure out, with D’Andre Swift (+1100), Kyle Monangai (+1300) and Caleb Williams (+2200) all options on the ground near the goal line. Instead of sweating that three-headed monster, just back the team’s clear No. 1 wide receiver — even in a matchup with a Philadelphia secondary that is only surrendering 1.0 opponent passing touchdowns per contest.
