It may not be the most thrilling game of the season, but it’s the start of professional football nonetheless. The league’s annual 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game is set to kick off on Thursday, August 3 at 8 p.m. ET. The game itself will take place at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium at Hall of Fame Village in Canton, Ohio.
For this year’s matchup, fans will see two teams with high expectations going head-to-head in the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns. Hall of Fame Game participants usually have a connection to that weekend’s induction class. This year, the Jets are represented by Darrelle Revis and Joe Klecko, while the Browns are represented by Joe Thomas.
The Jets are among the must-watch teams this season after trading for quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the postseason. After a 7-10 record and a last-place finish in the AFC East last year, New York went all in to fill their quarterback need. Coupled with the reigning offensive and defensive rookies of the year in Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner, the Jets are as well-built as they have been to make a run in the postseason.
The Browns had no shortage of talent last year after giving quarterback Deshaun Watson a fully-guaranteed contract in the offseason. However, once he made his return from suspension the pieces never fell in line for a strong end to their schedule. Now in year two, the hope is that Watson can take advantage of the weapons around him in the likes of Amari Cooper, Nick Chubb, and Elijah Moore to remain competitive in the AFC North.
2023 NFL HOF game: Jets vs. Browns
Date: Thursday, August 3
Start time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, Canton, OH
Odds: Jets -120, Browns +100
The Jets hold seventh-best odds at +1600 to win the Super Bowl in 2024, a boost that they undoubtedly received after trading for Rodgers. New York has talent on both sides of the ball, but the truth of the matter is that they play in an especially tough division in the AFC East. The Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, and the Bill Belichick-led New England Patriots will not make it easy for Rodgers in his first season in the Big Apple.
The Browns hold +3000 odds to win the Super Bowl next season, which is second-best in their division behind only the Baltimore Ravens, who sit at +1800. Much like the Jets, Cleveland’s divisional schedule is by no means a cakewalk. The Cincinnati Bengals are coming off two-straight AFC Championship appearances, while the Pittsburgh Steelers are among the dark-horse candidates with quarterback Kenny Pickett in year two. Of course, the Ravens locking up Lamar Jackson long-term only increases the competition among signal-callers in the division.