NFL Week 6 Props: Betting on Big Ben
by Richard Gardner | Bodog Sportsbook Manager - 10/15/2010
Plenty of Bodog NFL props to get to, starting with one of the biggest stories of the week, the return of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to the Steelers' lineup after his suspension.
There's a real belief among NFL pundits that Pittsburgh is the best team in the league right now, and perhaps the only team with the potential to be considered great. The Steelers, led by a terrific defense and a strong running game, managed a 3-1 record without Roethlisberger at the helm and were one stop away from making it a perfect 4-0. If they can add a passing attack to their repertoire, it'll be tough to find a big, glaring weakness.
So how will Big Ben fare in Sunday's game against the Browns? We've set his total passing yards at 235.5, with much of the early action coming on the over. No surprise there. In 2009, Roethlisberger eclipsed the 235-passing yards mark in eight games. Plus, it's a home game for Pittsburgh.
The one big concern bettors should have is this: If the Steelers get off to a strong start against Cleveland, they may end up running the ball most of the latter half of the game. That's certainly happened before. If you look back at some of the big blowouts Pittsburgh has pulled off in recent years, Roethlisberger's numbers have typically been fairly conservative. It's when the Steelers play close games, or fall behind early, that the passing yards tend to pile up.
Of course, there's another quarterback story in the Steelers-Browns game that's getting its fair share of attention. Former Texas standout Colt McCoy will be making the start for Cleveland in what has to be one of the most challenging assignments in the history of rookie quarterbacks. We've set McCoy's total passing yards at 150.5 and his total completion percentage at 52 percent. Considering the circumstances, he'll have done very well if he earns the over in both those categories.
Since we're already talking about the quarterback position, let's talk about a special prop that we've got this week at Bodog: Will Dan Marino's single-season passing yards record of 5,084 be broken during the 2010 NFL regular season? The "Yes" option pays a tempting +350.
As most of you will know, Marino set the passing yards record in 1984, but a couple of QBs are on pace to break it this year. Philip Rivers (1,749), Kyle Orton (1,733) and Peyton Manning (1,609) have all been racking up the yardage, and we've had a good number of bettors wager that one of them will break the legendary mark.
And, finally, we can't ignore the trials and tribulations of Brett Favre. We ask you, the bettor, will the ol' gunslinger publicly admit to sending those now infamous pictures to Jenn Sterger? "Yes" is at +200.
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