First Touchdown Scorer Predictions for Monday Night Football: Giants vs. Patriots TD Picks

My Giants vs. Patriots first touchdown scorer predictions for Monday Night Football are looking to cash in during prime time while leaning on TreVeyon Henderson, Theo Johnson, and Darius Slayton as the long shot.

New England unsurprisingly enters as a sizable favorite at -7.5, with the clash set for 8:15 p.m. ET from Gillette Stadium (ESPN) as I add to our NFL predictions for Week 13. The rising Patriots will be seeking to win their 10th straight game, while the Giants are trying to stop a five-game slide.

First touchdown scorer predictions: Giants vs. Patriots

See all of our experts' NFL picks for Week 13 based on the latest NFL odds.

Best Monday Night Football first touchdown scorer bets

Search the best NFL player prop odds for any team or player across every market from legal sportsbooks in your area.

TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Patriots (+600) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sure, this market is the land for long shots. But sometimes you need to ride with the favorite in a juicy matchup, knowing that his first touchdown odds are of course significantly longer than the anytime TD odds he's getting.

That's the case with quickly ascending rookie TreVeyon Henderson, whose anytime touchdown odds for tonight are as short as -120 through the best sports betting sites. That's a colossal gap in pricing considering the likely early run focus from the Patriots as they try to exploit the Giants' most glaring weakness.

The Giants field the league's worst run defense while allowing 157.2 rushing yards per game. They've given up the second-most yards to running backs and are tied for the third-most touchdowns allowed (12). Now that unit is tasked with slowing Henderson, who has scored five times across his last three games. He's still getting the bulk of the work even with Rhamondre Stevenson back from injury too, as last game Henderson received 21 touches with Stevenson at only seven.

A successful $10 wager on him to score first would lead to a $60 profit using these +600 odds from DraftKings, with an implied probability of 14.29%.

Our Esten McLaren is looking elsewhere in the Patriots' backfield as part of his anytime touchdown scorer predictions for Monday Night Football. And Gary Pearson is eyeing Henderson too in his Giants vs. Patriots prediction.

Theo Johnson, TE, Giants (+1400) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The best sports betting apps are understandably leaning hard toward the Patriots, with New England players occupying seven of the top eight spots on the oddsboard to score first.

That leads to some steals for Giants options though if the touchdown-plus underdogs find a way to open the touchdown fun. Chief among those deals is tight end Theo Johnson, who's quietly been a bright spot for New York amid another otherwise lost season.

Johnson is tied for sixth among tight ends with 12 red-zone targets, and that volume has contributed greatly to his five touchdowns. He's also coming off a season-high 77 receiving yards last week.

The Patriots' defense he faces is imposing while ranking sixth in points allowed per game (18.8). But the team's secondary can struggle, and especially against tight ends. The Pats are tied for the fifth-most receptions allowed to the position.

A $10 wager on Johnson scoring first could lead to a $170 profit using these +1700 betting odds from FanDuel, with an implied probability of 5.56%.

Pearson is looking elsewhere among the Giants' skill-position players in his Giants vs. Patriots player props.

Darius Slayton, WR, Giants (+2000) ⭐⭐⭐

Yes, the meteoric ascent of Wan'Dale Robinson continues, and his 156-yard outing last week was the wideout's second 140-plus-yard game this season. Robinson has been rewarded with double-digit targets during four of his last six games, topping out at 14 last week.

But the veteran Slayton remains a field-stretcher, and he doesn't need high volume to make an impact. He's averaging 15.3 yards per reception, and Slayton is just one week removed from snatching all four of his targets for 89 yards (22.3 yards per grab). His home-run swing ability is ever-present, and now Slayton is getting highly appealing odds while going up against a Patriots secondary that's tied for the fourth-most touchdowns allowed to wide receivers (15).

A $10 bet would pay out $200 if Slayton crosses the goal line first using these +2000 betting odds from DraftKings, with an implied probability of 4.76%.

His quarterback Jaxson Dart is also getting long odds to record the first TD despite scoring on the ground seven times already. I dove deeper into his outlook tonight as part of my NFL first touchdown scorer predictions for Week 13.

First touchdown scorer odds: Giants vs. Patriots

See all of our NFL touchdown props for Monday Night Football and more.

How to watch Monday Night Football: Giants vs. Patriots

• Date: Monday, Dec. 1
• Kickoff: 8:15 p.m. ET
• Location: Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
• TV: ESPN