NFL Sunday Night Football Anytime & First TD Scorers: Buccaneers vs. Bears
Sunday night, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers face the Chicago Bears. Millions of dollars will be bet on this game. But which touchdown prop bets should you take? Let's dive into my picks for first team and anytime touchdown scorers.
- More NFL Betting Advice
- NFL Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
- Expert NFL Game Picks
- NFL Betting Strategy
- Best +EV NFL Picks
Get instant alerts when a line reaches your target via the BettingPros App >>
NFL Sunday Night Football Anytime & First TD Scorers: Buccaneers vs. Bears
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Tampa Bay Buccaneers First TD Scorer: Emeka Egbuka (+550)
Hopefully, Egbuka can play Sunday night after missing the past two games with multiple injuries. Bettors should expect him to play after logging back-to-back full sessions to end the week of practice, but he is listed as questionable for Sunday night's contest. Assuming he plays, Egbuka is a bargain to score the first Buccaneers touchdown at +550. The former Ohio State star scored a touchdown in back-to-back games before suffering a concussion and a foot injury.
Furthermore, Egbuka's receiving touchdown in Week 6 was the first Tampa Bay score of the game. Meanwhile, the Bears' secondary has struggled to keep wide receivers out of the end zone, surrendering eight receiving touchdowns this season. Chicago has given up two receiving touchdowns to opposing wide receivers in three games, including last week. More importantly, the first touchdown scored against the Bears has been by a wide receiver in four of their past five games.
Chicago Bears First TD Scorer: Colston Loveland (+500)
After a poor start to the season, Loveland has been on fire lately and has finally started to find the end zone. The former Michigan star didn't score a touchdown last week but was productive despite a tough matchup, totaling a team-high nine targets. However, he had a receiving touchdown in back-to-back games before last week's matchup. More importantly, Loveland had the first Chicago touchdown in Caleb Williams’ return from a hamstring injury in Week 6.
Last week, the Buccaneers gave up zero touchdowns to the Atlanta Falcons in one of the weirdest games in recent NFL history. However, Tampa Bay's defense has struggled to keep tight ends out of the end zone this year. They've surrendered five receiving touchdowns to tight ends, the seventh-most in the league. More importantly, the first offensive touchdown scored against the Buccaneers has been by tight end in 42.9% of the games, including in back-to-back contests before last week's shutout.
Anytime TD Scorer: D'Andre Swift (-190)
The Bears could get Kyle Monangai back on Sunday night after he was a limited participant in Friday's practice. However, bettors shouldn't be shocked if the former Rutgers star misses his fifth consecutive game with thumb and toe injuries after only practicing once this week. Therefore, Swift will continue to have a featured role behind an elite run-blocking offensive line. The veteran running back has 10 rushing touchdowns this season, the most in the NFL.
Swift has scored at least one rushing touchdown in 62.5% of the games, including in every contest without Monangai. The former Georgia star is an appealing bet to score twice at +300, having had two or more rushing touchdowns in three games this year. He has hit the mark twice in the past three weeks, including scoring three touchdowns in Week 8. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers' run defense has been outstanding this season but hasn't faced an elite rushing attack.
Anytime TD Scorer: Bucky Irving (+105)
Unless you have been living under a rock, you know Tampa Bay defeated the Falcons last week without Baker Mayfield completing a pass. That won't be the case on Sunday night against the Bears. Yet, expect the Buccaneers to lean on their red-hot rushing attack. Irving has been unstoppable lately, totaling 487 rushing yards and five offensive touchdowns over the past four weeks. The former Oregon star scored two touchdowns in two of those contests.
While Irving has taken advantage of struggling run defenses lately, bettors should expect him to score at least once on Sunday night. Not only is he a force on the ground, but Irving also has a role in the passing game. Meanwhile, Chicago has surrendered only five scrimmage touchdowns to opposing running backs, the sixth-fewest in the NFL. However, they have had some head-scratching performances, allowing two rushing touchdowns to MarShawn Lloyd a few weeks ago.
Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.