Colts vs Ravens MNF Prop Bets: Passing, Pascal, and Penalties

Passing. Pascal. Penalties. The three P's that highlight our best MNF prop bets for Week 5, as we like Lamar to light it up through the air, Zach Pascal to find paydirt, and the Colts to fail first in a battle between two penalty-averse squads.

Jason Logan: Senior Betting Analyst at Covers
Jason Logan • Senior Betting Analyst
Oct 11, 2021 • 09:55 ET • 5 min read
Zach Pascal Indianapolis Colts NFL
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

Whether you’re rolling over your winnings from Sunday or trying to claw your way out of a weekend of red, Monday Night Football betting is the Grand Finale to the Week 6 schedule. 

And with that in mind, we go beyond the spread and total for Monday’s matchup and give our best NFL prop bets for this primetime battle between the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens.

Here are my favorite free prop picks and predictions for Monday Night Football.

Colts vs Ravens prop picks

Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.

Best Monday Night Football bonuses

If you're signing up for a new sportsbook for MNF, here are two of the best welcome bonuses available:

USA: Place a bet on the “First Touchdown Scorer” market at Caesars and get a free bet equal to your stake (Max $25) to wager live on the game! Claim Now

Canada: Colts ML boosted to +320 at NeoBet. Claim Now

Colts vs Ravens MNF props

With all the injuries to the Ravens to start the schedule, the offense felt like it was solely on Lamar Jackson’s shoulders. However, Baltimore has been able to get some bodies back at the skill positions and could add WRs Rashod Bateman and Miles Boykin into the mix Monday.

Jackson passed for a season-high 316 yards on 22 of 37 throws versus Denver in Week 4 but connected for only one touchdown pass. He goes up against a Colts defense slamming the door on opposing running backs in the red zone (second in red-zone run DVOA) but sitting 31st in red-zone pass defense DVOA at Football Outsiders.

With added receiving options as well as red-zone threats like TE Mark Andrews and RB Le’Veon Bell, we like Jackson to find his top targets for two passing TDs (or more) on Monday night.

PICK: Lamar Jackson Over 1.5 passing touchdowns (-102 at FanDuel)

After starting the season hot, with three touchdown catches in his first two games, Colts WR Zach Pascal has failed to find paydirt the past two outings.

Pascal will get his chances, targeted nine times inside the red zone in 2021 — tied for fourth-most in the league. He can also break off big plays as Indy’s No. 2 receiver, posting a 41-yard gain in last week’s win over the Broncos.

While the Ravens have done a great job shutting down top targets (No. 2 in Defensive DVOA versus WR1), they’ve struggled to slow the second-best options (24th DVOA against WR2). We like Pascal to put six points on the board in Baltimore — and this prop is anywhere between +230 and +300, so shop around for the best bang for your buck.

PICK: Zach Pascal anytime TD (+300 at DraftKings)

Ever cheer for a penalty prop? Well, get ready.

To the credit of both teams, the Colts and Ravens are very disciplined squads who sit near the bottom of the NFL in penalties. In fact, Indianapolis has only been whistled for 17 accepted penalties in four games — fewest in the NFL (with a game in-hand).

A few slots behind them are the Ravens, racking up just 25 infractions so far in 2021. Baltimore has also induced just 26 penalties on opponents but six of those were offensive holding calls and seven were on false starts — half due to Baltimore’s blitz-happy stop unit.

The Ravens love to cause chaos and make offensive lines very nervous, blitzing on almost 33 percent of their opponents’ dropbacks and creating pressure on 30.6 percent of those snaps — most in the league. 

The Colts have injuries across the O-line and have allowed pressure on 30.8 percent of Carson Wentz’ dropbacks, giving up 10 sacks on the season. With Baltimore bringing the heat early and often, expect some offensive holding from Indy’s pass protection and the Colts to get called for the first accepted penalty Monday night.

PICK: Commit first accepted penalty – Colts (-115 at bet365)

Where can I bet on the NFL?

You can bet on NFL odds at every online and casino sportsbook, including NFL moneylines, spreads, Over/Under totals, and a ton of NFL prop odds. Head over to our best football betting sites for the top spots to bet on NFL odds in your area.

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Jason Logan Senior Industry Analyst Covers.com
Senior Betting Analyst

In his 20 years with Covers, lead NFL betting analyst “JLo” has seen it all and bet it all. Through the wild west of early Internet gambling to lobbying for legalized sports betting to our brave new wagering world, Jason has been a consistent source of actionable info and entertainment for squares and sharps alike.

Since joining the Covers team back in 2005, he’s honed his handicapping skills to provide audiences with the most thorough insights, blending traditional capping methods with advanced modelling and predictive analysis. Jason has studied the ins and outs of the sports betting business, learning from some of the most successful gamblers in the industry and the biggest sportsbook operators on the planet.

He is under center for Covers during NFL season as our top NFL expert, taking the points in his infamous “NFL Underdogs” column and representing the Covers Community at the Super Bowl. While he lives for football season, Jason’s first love is basketball and that shows in his in-depth NBA, NCAA, and WNBA betting breakdowns.

On top of being a mainstay in media from coast to coast – WPIX, PHL17, Fox 5 San Diego, WGNO, TSN, SportsNet, ESPN Radio – he’s had his analysis featured in USA Today, MSNBC, ESPN, the Wall Street Journal, CBS, Bloomberg, the L.A. Times, the New York Times and other major publications. You can also find JLo stuffing all the top picks and predictions he can into 10 minutes as the host of Covers’ flagship podcast, The Sharp 600.

His best advice for bettors new and old is “Handicapping isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ process. The impact and importance of information varies from bet to bet. Treat each wager different than the last.”

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