The 2026 NFL season gets underway on Thursday night, when the Panthers and Cardinals meet in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, OH. All the bigger names and starters will remain on the sidelines for this one, and with the game played so early on in training camp, it can generally be a little sloppy. Nonetheless, it’s a great feeling to have football back. Let’s dig into a betting angle on the 2026 HOF Game.
Carolina Panthers vs. Arizona Cardinals (NFL Hall of Fame Game)
Because this game is played so early on in camp, and virtually no starters suit up for it, the under is always a popular play. It’s generally set in the mid-30’s, as is the case this year. That hasn’t prevented the majority of money from coming in on the under, but I’d be cautious betting the total. Four consecutive Hall of Fame Games have gone over the total, and the game gets more and more unpredictable as it does on. The fourth quarter is played predominantly by players that won’t be making NFL rosters.
I want to bet on the players that will be on NFL rosters that we have a much better feel for. That has me looking at the first half markets. While the Panthers’ roster isn’t exactly the cream of the crop, the Cardinals appear to be off to a disastrous start to training camp. Arizona has one of the least talented rosters in the NFL, and that trickles down to the backups that will be starting this game.
The Cardinals will be rolling with Carson Beck at quarterback in the early going, getting his first action of (sort of) real NFL snaps. Beck sits third on Arizona’s depth chart at QB, behind Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew, both of whom are sitting. We’ll see how that goes.
Meanwhile, Carolina will start Kenny Pickett. While Pickett has been a bust since the Steelers selected him in the first round, he’s played in 36 games over the past four NFL regular seasons. Pickett comes with real NFL experience and is listed as Bryce Young’s backup on the Panthers’ depth chart.
I give the Panthers the overall talent edge in terms of non-quarterbacks playing in this game, but it’s a slight one, and always tough to tell. That alone would not be worth a bet for me, but when you factor in the QB matchup, I’m comfortable making a small play on Carolina to win the first half of this preseason opener.
NFL HOF Pick: CAR 1H ML (-130)
