NY Giants vs. Washington Football Team: TNF betting odds, preview, and pick

The NFC East will kick off Week 2 of the 2021 NFL season on Thursday Night Football, as the New York Giants visit the Washington Football Team at FedExField.

Heinicke back in the Washington spotlight

Both Washington and New York suffered losses in Week 1, but the D.C. team endured an even greater setback, when it lost new starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to a hip injury.

Midway through the second quarter, the 38-year-old journeyman exited the game and was replaced by backup Taylor Heinicke, who made a name for himself in last season's Wild Card Round, where he nearly upset the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 31-23 thriller.

In Sunday's matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers, Heinicke went 11-for-15 for 122 passing yards, and found tight end Logan Thomas for an 11-yard touchdown to hand Washington a 16-13 lead in the third quarter. 

Heinicke's heroics came up short, however, as Washington's defense struggled to contain second-year QB Justin Herbert. The 2020 Offensive Rookie of the Year passed for 337 yards against a unit that surrendered the second fewest passing yards last season.

Washington also committed eight penalties for a loss of 57 yards and allowed Los Angeles to go an alarming 14-for-19 on third down.

Barkley's return does little to spark Giants offense

New York's quarterback situation isn't much better compared to Washington's. Third-year signal caller Daniel Jones looked shaky in the Giants' home opener against Denver, as he completed just 22 of his 37 passes for 267 yards and lost a crucial fumble in the red zone in the third quarter.

The former sixth overall pick did score twice (once on the run) and got some help from receiver Sterling Shepard, who caught seven passes for 113 yards and a touchdown.

Where the Giants got little assistance was in the run game. 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year Saquon Barkley played his first game since Week 2 of last season, when he tore his ACL, and posted a measly 26 yards on 10 carries.

Jones led the way with 27 yards on six attempts.

The New York defense also had a difficult time shutting down Denver's new-look offense. The unit gave up 165 yards on the ground, including 101 to Melvin Gordon, and let the Broncos covert all three of their fourth-down tries.

Giants and Washington betting trends

• New York is 5-0 SU in its last five games against Washington
• Washington is 6-2 ATS in its last eight games
• The Under is 5-1 in Washington’s last six games
• The Under is 5-0 in New York’s last five games

Washington will snap losing streak to division foe

Last season, the Giants narrowly beat Washington and backup Kyle Allen at home, 20-19, then celebrated a 23-20 win a month later, with Alex Smith in at quarterback for Washington.

Both teams exhibited issues in Sunday's losses, and the quick turnaround will prevent them from adequately addressing them before an important division matchup.

Washington's defense will make the difference, and will force Jones into committing a few costly mistakes.

Expect a close, ugly battle, with WFT ultimately outlasting New York to snap a five-game losing streak to its division foe.

Score prediction: Washington 21, New York 18

NFL Week 2 pick: Under 41.5