NFL FOOTBALL IS BACK! Well, sort of. The preseason kicks off tonight with the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, pitting the New York Jets against the Cleveland Browns. We have gone almost six months without having a live NFL game, so we’ll take what we can get.
And if you didn’t think we would give out Hall of Fame Game picks and make bets on tonight’s game, well, you were surely mistaken. Here’s a rundown of the NFL Hall of Fame Game from PFN’s Chief Content Officer David Bearman, Betting Director Brian Blewis, and Betting and Fantasy Analyst Jason Katz.
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NFL Hall of Fame Game Odds
Here are the odds for tonight’s game. Want to bet on it? Click on the widget below!
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NFL Hall of Fame Game Picks
Blewis: Never would I have ever expected to be so excited to bet on an NFL preseason game featuring Zach Wilson, but here I am. According to PFN’s Kyle Soppe, the average amount of points scored in the seven previous Hall of Fame Games has been just 28.4. Last season’s contest was the first to go over the total since 2017, and that needed a touchdown with 3:26 remaining to cash over bettors’ tickets.
These games tend to be low-scoring for a variety of reasons, mainly because they primarily feature backups fighting for roster spots, and they take place very early in training camp, meaning these teams are rusty. The under might seem too obvious, but there isn’t any reason for me to fade this trend. Under 33.5 (-110).
Katz: The Hall of Fame Game is like the bread and butter on the table before the appetizer that is the following three weeks of preseason games. It’s also our first taste of live football in six months. So, naturally, we should bet on it! OK. Maybe not should. But we can. If you can’t resist the urge to slap down a couple of shekels on this game, here’s how I would do it.
Remember, these teams haven’t played real football since the first week of January. They also each have a full three-week preseason schedule beginning next week. As a result, don’t expect to see any starters, and don’t expect to see any of these teams go too hard.
I’m expecting backups who haven’t played real football all year to play like backups who haven’t played football all year. It’s always nice to see real football again in August, but this projects to be a sloppy game where offenses struggle to get going. As a result, give me under 33.5 (-110).
Bearman: Evidently, being the boss doesn’t mean much in these circles. I told the guys above that I was going to take the under in this game, especially after PFN statman Kyle Soppe gave us the stat that the average final total in the last seven HOF games has been under 29. Naturally, Katz and Blewis took the under.
We would not serve you if all three of us took the same under in the first game of the year, so let’s mix it up. Call this game what it is … a glorified extended practice. Neither starting QB will see action, and the Browns aren’t even dressing No. 2 Joshua Dobbs.
At least former starter Zach Wilson is going to play for the Jets, which may or may not help them. With these games, you have to look deeper than the first few possessions. If anyone remembers last year’s preseason (it is OK to admit it), Jets backup to the backup to the backup, Chris Streveler, rewarded bettors with great late-game action, and the Jets swept the preseason.
Add the fact that new OC and former Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett might have something to prove after being the butt of jokes for the last six months, and maybe you have an edge here with one team. That’s all I got. I said I wouldn’t write up a pick for the HOF game, and I wrote 200 words. Nice work. Jets -2 (-110).
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