The wait is over, football fans! The NFL is back. The yearly NFL Hall of Fame Game will take place this Thursday night, August 6th, in Canton, Ohio. The Carolina Panthers will take on the Arizona Cardinals at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Can you even call yourself a degen if you aren’t betting on the first NFL action of the season? I think not! Let’s dive in and take a look at the Carolina Panthers vs Arizona Cardinals in the 2026 NFL Hall of Fame Game preview and best bets.
Thursday’s game centers around the induction of five new players to the NFL’s 2026 Hall of Fame class. Headlined by one Cardinal in the legend Larry Fitzgerald and one Panther in linebacker Luke Kuechly. Quarterback Drew Brees, running back Roger Craig, and legendary kicker Adam Vinatieri will join Fitzgerald and Kuechly.
The game will air at 8:00 PM ET on NBC, and will be streamed on Peacock. It’s always important to keep an eye on updates for players who may or may not play, as it changes in all preseason games, but especially this one. We do know Bryce Young will not be starting for the Carolina Panthers. Instead, former first-round NFL Draft pick of the Steelers, Kenny Pickett, will get the first snaps for the team. Expect to see rookie Hayes King get significant snaps as well in the second half of the game.
On the other side, Jacoby Brissett will also not start. Rookie third-round pick from the University of Miami, Carson Beck, has been appointed the starter for this game. I’d expect Beck to see a good amount of playing time as the franchise evaluates what they have in the 23-year-old rookie. Kedon Slovis should also get a good amount of snaps behind center.
2026 NFL Hall of Fame Game Best Bets
Carson Beck 150+ Passing Yards (+351)
Carson Beck is going to get a solid look in this game. The Arizona Cardinals are entering a season where it’s expected they’ll be one of the worst teams in the league, and have a shot at getting their pick of the litter in the loaded 2027 NFL Draft class of quarterbacks. But first, they need to make sure they vet what they have. That’s third-round pick Carson Beck. Beck, already 23, has a ton of football under his belt. Throwing for over 11,000 yards during his career, he’ll look like a natural in a game like this. He’s the third-string guy, so there’s no need to save him from injury. Beck will see a ton of action; I’d expect the entire first half, maybe more. One blown coverage from some fifth-string defensive back and Beck will be well on his way. For the number this is at, great bet.
Hayes King 25+ Rushing Yards (-132)
Hayes King should also see a solid amount of playing time at quarterback for the Carolina Panthers. Honestly, I’m not sure it’ll take much time at all for him to eclipse this rushing number. As an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech, this might be the one big shot this kid gets on a national stage. He ran a 4.46 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, and this kid had 36 rushing touchdowns in his career at Georgia Tech. The expectation is he plays most of the second half, giving him plenty of time for a couple of scrambles to dash for a simple 25 yards. Remember, this isn’t college anymore where sacks count against your rushing total!
Game Total: Under 35.5 (-114)
Death, taxes, first half unders in March Madness, and the under in the Hall of Fame Game. Some things you just expect year after year. This game going under the spread is one of the stronger trends in betting. In 12 of the last 16 (75%) Hall of Fame Games, the under has hit. Additionally, it has hit in four of the last five games, with 2023 the only exception. 35.5 is one of the higher over/unders we’ve had in recent years. Do the books know something, or is it time to pounce?
35.5 is the perfect spot to set this, because betting unders is boring, and the books know it. Casuals will come in and see a total well under what they are used to in the regular season and not think twice. We know better! No stars will be playing; this is about testing out the rookies, mistakes will be made, and it’s hard to get a flow going. It’s always the under in the Hall of Fame Game.
Arizona Cardinals +1.5 (-115)
This one is also pretty easy for me. The Carolina Panthers are an established team coming off a playoff run. They’ve already suffered some big injuries in training camp. This is simply a bottom-of-the-roster evaluation for a coach who’s been here and done that. Kenny Pickett is a fine quarterback, but I don’t think he’ll play as long as they want him to be the main backup. Hayes King is a wild card for sure. On the other side, Gardner Minshew is the team’s backup, so there’s no need to save Carson Beck, and we know he’s going to be a try-hard in this game; it’s his time to shine.
There’s already an edge to getting an underdog in a game where little is truly known. Sure, in the regular season you wouldn’t bet Arizona against a playoff team at this number. But these are almost like completely different teams. Mike LaFleur is also a first-time head coach, and he’s going to want to hit the ground running and show off some of his stuff, whereas Dave Canales is looking at the bigger picture.
