New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has yet to live up to expectations after being selected with the sixth pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, winning only eight of his 27 career starts. However, the 24-year-old from Duke has done exceptionally well against the Washington Football Team, winning every matchup to account for half of his win total. Jones will attempt to improve to 5-0 in the all-time series when the Giants visit Washington for an NFC East showdown on Thursday Night Football. Jones had his best performance as a pro versus Washington, setting career-highs with 352 passing yards and five touchdowns in a 41-35 overtime win on the road in Week 16 of his 2019 rookie campaign.
Kickoff from FedEx Field in Landover, Md., is set for 8:20 p.m. ET. Washington is a 3.5-point favorite in the latest Giants vs. Washington odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 40.5. Before locking in your Washington vs. Giants picks, check out the NFL predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up almost $7,900 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception six-plus years ago. It went a sizzling 24-14 on top-rated NFL picks last season, returning more than $800. The model also enters Week 2 of the 2021 season on an incredible 121-79 run on top-rated NFL picks that dates back to the 2017 season.
The model also ranked in the Top 10 on NFLPickWatch four of the past five years on straight-up NFL picks and beat more than 94 percent of CBS Sports Football Pick'em players four times during that span. Anyone who has followed it is way up.
Now, the model has set its sights on Giants vs. Washington on Thursday Night Football. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the NFL odds and trends for Washington vs. Giants:
- Giants vs. Washington spread: Washington -3.5
- Giants vs. Washington over-under: 40.5 points
- Giants vs. Washington money line: New York +145, Washington -170
- NYG: Giants coach Joe Judge is 2-0 all-time against Washington
- WAS: WFT is plus-one on turnovers
Why Washington can cover
Even though it lost the opener, Washington held a potent Los Angeles Chargers team to just 20 points. Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen had a sack to go along with three tackles, including one solo. Last season, he was the team's fourth-leading tackler with 63, including 37 solo, and three tackles for loss. He has a sack in two of his three career Thursday Night Football games.
Another key ingredient to the defense is linebacker Cole Holcomb, who led Washington in tackles last week with 11, his fifth career game with 10 or more tackles. He is looking for his third game in a row against the Giants with a tackle for loss. Holcomb was the team's third-leading tackler in 2020 with 72, including 45 solo. He also had 2.5 sacks for 19 yards, with seven tackles for loss, one pass breakup and one interception.
Why the Giants can cover
New York has won five consecutive meetings with Washington, including three contests in the nation's capital, and is 22-8 in the series over the last 15 seasons. The Giants' offense was in high gear in the three road victories during the current streak, scoring 40 or more points twice while amassing a total of 104. On Thursday Night Football, New York faces a Washington defense that allowed 424 total yards in the team's 20-16 home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1, including 334 through the air.
Like Jones, running back Saquon Barkley had the best performance of his career thus far in the overtime win at Washington in 2019. The 2018 second overall draft pick out of Penn State ran 22 times for 189 yards and a touchdown in that contest, while also making four catches for 90 yards and a score. Barkley, who gained 26 yards on 10 carries against Denver on Sunday in his first appearance since a torn ACL in Week 2 ended his 2020 season, also posted his second-best rushing effort (14 carries, 170 yards, TD) versus Washington in 2018. His workload on Thursday figures to be lighter as he eases his way back into action following the injury.
How to make Washington vs. Giants picks
SportsLine's model is leaning under on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 40 points. It also says one side of the spread cashes in well over 50 percent of simulations. You can only see who to back here.
So who wins Giants vs. WFT on Thursday Night Football? And which side of the spread cashes well over 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Washington vs. Giants spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up over $7,900 on its NFL picks, and find out.