MNF Week 16 Parlay Picks and Player Props: Colts Host 49ers in Philip Rivers' Return to Indy

Written By Blaise Bourgeois | Published at December 22, 2025

Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) carries the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The much-anticipated return of Philip Rivers to Indianapolis is finally here as the Colts host the San Francisco 49ers as Indy hopes to hold onto their suddenly slim playoff chances.

After starting the season at 7-1, the Colts have lost five of their last six games to fall to 8-6 and are banking on the 44-year-old Rivers to help lead them to glory. The NFL playoff picture analytics website has them at just a 5% chance of making the postseason at the time of writing, though they're still mostly in control of their own destiny. They'd have to win out against San Francisco, Jacksonville, and Houston as massive underdogs in each game.

Meanwhile, with the Detroit Lions losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers, a number of teams clinched in the NFC, including the 49ers. Believe it or not, San Francisco are in a prime position to compete for the number one seed in the NFC and a first-round bye. Should San Francisco beat the Colts and beat Chicago next week, that could set up a winner-takes-all against Seattle for that top spot in the conference. Seattle would have to defeat Carolina for such a mammoth matchup to occur.

This battle will be a huge hit on our favorite sports betting sites. While you're there, you can find all of the latest NFL odds and take advantage of some juicy deals tied to this game and the holiday season.

NFL Game Lines

San Francisco 49ers -5.5 (-115)

🏈 Odds via FanDuel 📈

We're talking about the potential number one seed in the NFC playing against a 44-year-old quarterback who was retired for nearly five years. Are you kidding me with this line?

The NFL probably saw the best version of Philip Rivers last week during the Colts' 18-16 loss in Seattle. Unfortunately, the best version of Rivers was 18-for-27 for a meager 120 yards with a touchdown and an interception. For those keeping track, that was his lowest yardage output since January 2010, when Rivers was pulled at the end of the first quarter in a dead rubber win with the Chargers.

We don't often say that a bet is free money, but we are laying the absolute house on the 49ers to roll over the Colts tonight and end their season.

Under 45.5 (-105)

🏈 Oddsvia DraftKings 📈

Even if we think Rivers is going to have an absolute stinker, the Colts offer plenty on defense that could stop the 49ers from blowing them out. This was evident when they held the high-flying Seattle Seahawks to just 18 points last week, limiting their high-flying rushing attack to 50 yards.

There's no way they'll completely stuff Christian McCaffrey, who is on the verge of a second-career 1,000/1,000 season, which is insane considering it's only been done three times in an NFL season. Despite owning football's fifth-best run defense, the Colts are 31st against the pass.

We think this line is probably about 5-10 points too high. Take the under.

Player Props

Philip Rivers Under 160.5 Passing Yards (-120)

🏈 Odds via Caesars Sportsbook 📈

Come on. Take the easy money. Even against the 22nd-ranked pass defense in the league, even against one of the teams that blitz the least in the league, Rivers will almost certainly struggle. Both the 49ers and the Seahawks blitz just 21.3% of the time, so there's really just a small amount of room for improvement.

If Rivers does hit the over today, it will be because one of his receivers breaks one for a big gainer.

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Christian McCaffrey Anytime Touchdown Scorer (-210)

🏈 Odds via FanDuel 📈

Again, if you saw free money lying on the ground, wouldn't you pick it up? McCaffrey to hit paydirt in this one is as sure a bet as I've seen all year in the NFL. He's already found the end zone 14 times this season and has scored in 10 of his 14 games this season.

Philip Rivers to Throw an Interception - Yes (-120)

🏈 Odds via FanDuel 📈

How is this only -120? After what we saw last week, there's sure to be some regression and some soreness in that old body of his. I don't see how he gets out of this one playing mistake-free football unless he literally hands the ball off to Jonathan Taylor all game long.

Today’s Best MNF Parlay (+700)

Leg 1: San Francisco 49ers -5.5
Leg 2: Philip Rivers 1+ Interception
Leg 3: Christian McCaffrey Anytime Touchdown Scorer
Leg 4: Under 45.5

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