Hall of Fame Game Betting Preview

The NFL preseason will get underway on Thursday night with the Hall of Fame Game featuring the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns.

As usual, the Hall of Fame Game is a neutral site game being played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. At the Bovada Sportsbook the Browns are listed as 2-point favorites.

Anyone hoping to see Aaron Rodgers make his Jets debut on Thursday night will have to wait a little longer. New York head coach Robert Saleh has announced that Rodgers will not play in the game and none of the other offensive starters will either so don’t expect any playing time for Breece Hall or Garrett Wilson. With the starters out the starting quarterback for the Jets on Thursday night should be Zach Wilson.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanksi has not announced the status of his starters for Thursday night, but several media outlets have reported that they expect the Browns’ starters to also sit out. That would mean no Deshaun Watson, Nick Chubb, or Amari Cooper for Cleveland. Backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs will most likely get the start, but rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson will reportedly see a lot of action in the game.

Jets, Browns histories in the Hall of Fame Game

This will be the third time that the Jets have appeared in the Hall of Fame Game. In their previous two games they posted a 1-1 record straight up. It has been more than 20 years since they last played in the game in 1992 when they defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 41-14.

The Browns have played in the Hall of Fame Game five times and have compiled a 2-4 record. Their last Hall of Fame Game appearance was in 1999 when they lost to the Dallas Cowboys 20-17 as 4-point favorites.

Last year in the preseason the Jets were 3-0 SU and against the spread. They’re 7-2-1 SU and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 preseason games, and as a preseason underdog they’re 3-2 SU and 4-1 ATS in their last five such outings.

The Browns were 1-2 SU and 1-1-1 ATS in the preseason last year. In their last 10 preseason games the Browns are 7-3 SU and 5-4-1 ATS, and as a preseason favorite they’re 3-2 SU and 1-4 ATS in their last five such outings.

The Jets and Browns last met up in the preseason in 2008 when the Jets upset the Browns by a score of 24-20 as a 4.5-point underdog.