2026 Hall of Fame Game Panthers vs. Cardinals NFL odds, trends: Carolina terrible preseason bet past 3 years
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- FanDuel Sportsbook lists the Panthers as 1.5-point favorites over the Cardinals with the Over/Under at 34.5 for Thursday's 8 p.m. ET Hall of Fame Game in Canton airing on NBC.
- Luke Kuechly and Larry Fitzgerald headline this weekend's Hall of Fame class along with Drew Brees, Roger Craig and Adam Vinatieri; Kuechly, 35, will be tied for second-youngest player enshrined.
- Kenny Pickett starts at quarterback for Carolina and will play a couple of series before giving way to undrafted rookie Haynes King; Pickett owns a 116.7 career preseason passer rating with six touchdowns and no interceptions across nine exhibitions.
- Carolina has lost eight of its past nine preseason games and is 1-8 against the spread over the same span, underscoring the Panthers' reputation as a poor preseason betting proposition.
- Carson Beck, a third-round rookie out of Miami, will start under center for Arizona ahead of Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew, and could become the first quarterback to play in the College Football Playoff title game and the ensuing Hall of Fame Game since Matt Mauck in 2004.
- Arizona operates under an entirely new coaching staff led by former Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur; the Cardinals haven't won a preseason road game since 2023 but are 6-1 to the Under in their past seven exhibitions overall.
- Historical Hall of Fame Game splits show favorites are 5-1 in the past six contests and the Over has hit in the past four, though Thursday's total of 34.5 sits two points higher than any of those previous games.
Why it matters: Bettors eyeing Thursday's Hall of Fame Game face a stark Carolina trend — 1-8 ATS in the past nine preseason tilts — while the Cardinals trot out a third-string rookie QB under a first-year head coach, making the spread one of the more lopsided setups on the NFL's opening night.
