St. Louis Rams vs. New York Giants: Monday Night Football Prop Bets

The St. Louis Rams (0-1) and New York Giants (0-1) close out Week 2 of the National Football League, squaring off in front of a nationally-televised audience on ESPN's Monday Night Football.

Kickoff from MetLife Stadium is expected at 8:30 EDT and both teams will be looking to avoid an 0-2 start.

Since the start of the 2000 campaign, only nine teams that have started 0-2 have made the playoffs.

From a betting perspective, New York opened as 3.5-point favorites, but has now climbed to as high as eight in some places.  The total has moved just a tick up to rest at 44.

With the line movement that has already occurred, sharp bettors are going to look closely at proposition wagers leading up to the game.

Let's take a closer look at five that are being offered in Las Vegas.

First Turnover of the Game

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw a single interception in the team's 28-14 road loss to the Washington Redskins last week.

He managed to throw 25 a year ago, failing to complete a pass to the opposition just four times in 16 games.

Second-year starter Sam Bradford tested the Philadelphia Eagles vaunted secondary 30 times in the opener without throwing a pick. 

The St. Louis Rams will likely have him air it out on Monday night, as he averaged just over 36 pass attempts in 2010.

Playing outdoors in front of a prime-time audience will likely produce a mistake from the former Oklahoma Sooners star.

Recommendation:  Interception as first turnover (-155)

Quarter with Most Points Scored

St. Louis head coach Steve Spagnuolo is a former pupil of New York Giants front man Tom Coughlin, serving as defensive coordinator for the team's last Super Bowl win in 2008.

I fully anticipate that both participants in tonight's game will need to make halftime adjustments, and the highest scoring quarter will be the third.

The prop is offering great value as the highest payout of any frame as well.

Recommendation:  Third quarter to have most points scored (+300)

Team To Have the Longest TD

The New York Giants are expected to have all of their offensive pieces in place tonight, which should allow Eli Manning opportunities to strike downfield using play action.

Manning also has much more experience throwing outdoors, as St. Louis signal-caller Sam Bradford averaged 26 yards per game less outside of a dome in 2010.

A bruised right finger is also a hindrance for Bradford to get the ball downfield.

Recommendation: New York Giants score longest TD (-135)

Total Sacks by Both Teams

The oddsmakers know that the New York Giants get after the quarterback better than anyone in the league with an aggressive defensive front.

I'm going the other way, due to Osi Umenyiora still out of the lineup and Justin Tuck suffering from lingering neck issues.

New York saw the Philadelphia Eagles pound the St. Louis Rams last week on the ground and will want to slow down a pass rush that finished seventh in the league last year with 43 sacks.

Recommendation:  Under 4.5 sacks (-108)

Team to Have the Longest Kickoff Return

The St. Louis Rams are likely to have more opportunities in this department tonight, while their opponent ranked 31st in this category a year ago.

Jerious Norwood averaged 26.3 yards on four kickoff returns last week and gives us a tremendous opportunity to score with this prop.

New York is off to another pedestrian start in this category, returning two kicks versus Washington in the opener for just 21 total yards.

Recommendation:  Rams will have longest kickoff return (-125)