Giants vs. Washington NFL Week 2 odds, spread: Taylor Heinicke takes over for injured Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback; Cam Newton not in plans

Sunday's home game for the Washington Football Team went about as poorly as it possibly could have. Not only did the WFT get upset by the Los Angeles Chargers and lose starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick for several weeks due to a hip injury, a sewage pipe burst at FedExField above some fans' heads. There's nowhere to go but up, then, this Thursday as Washington hosts the New York Giants with Taylor Heinicke taking over under center. The WFT opened as a 3.5-point favorite at Caesars Sportsbook.

Fitzpatrick left Sunday's 20-16 loss in the second quarter after being crushed by Chargers linebacker Uchenna Nwosu. "FitzMagic" has been placed on injured reserve after an MRI revealed a hip subluxation (that's a partial dislocation of a joint) and it's possible his season might be over. At a minimum, he will miss three games on IR.

"He is going to see a couple other doctors," Coach Ron Rivera said on Monday. "We want to make sure we get a good answer as to what's going on so we know how to handle everything from that point."

Heinicke was 11-for-15 for 122 yards and a touchdown in relief of Fitzpatrick and will make his first regular-season start since Dec. 23, 2018. He was picked off three times that day while a member of the Carolina Panthers in a 24-10 loss to Atlanta. Heinicke did start last season's wild-card game against the Tampa Bay Bucs, though, and threw for 306 yards and a score while also rushing for a touchdown in the loss. Kyle Allen will be the No. 2 Thursday. Heinicke definitely brings a mobile option that Fitzpatrick doesn't. 

There has been obvious speculation about the WFT signing free-agent QB Cam Newton because he played for Rivera with the Panthers, but Rivera said Monday the team doesn't plan to bring in any other QBs for now after signing Kyle Shurmur to the practice squad.

Some believe that teams are staying away from signing Newton because he refuses to get the COVID vaccine. Rivera is a cancer survivor and is immunocompromised as a result of the chemotherapy he had to take last year.

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