Opening Odds for Cardinals vs Panthers in Hall of Fame Game

• The Carolina Panthers are slight 1.5-point favorites vs the Arizona Cardinals in the Hall of Fame Game
• Arizona rookie pivot Carson Beck named the starter; Kenny Pickett will start for Carolina
• See below for the Cardinals vs Panthers opening odds, key players who will see action and betting trends

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Football is indeed back, but there won’t be much fanfare for the Hall of Fame Game, as the Arizona Cardinals take on the Carolina Panthers.

This matchup aligns, as Arizona WR Larry Fitzgerald and Panthers LB Luke Kuechly will be enshrined in Canton, but these teams are currently distant picks in the odds to make the NFL playoffs, ranking in the Bottom 5 in the NFC.

This one kicks off Thursday (Aug 6) at 8pm ET from Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, OH with NBC providing the broadcast coverage.

Read below as we look at the odds, key players in action and betting trends to consider.

Cardinals vs Panthers Odds

Odds as of August 4 at Kalshi. Be sure to check out a Kalshi promo code to bet on the Hall of Fame Game and NFL action this season.

The Panthers open as 1.5-point favorites on the spread, and are getting -117 odds on the moneyline to win outright. Arizona is getting +101 odds to win, while the total rests at a very gettable 33.5 points.

Neither of these clubs are on the radar in the Super Bowl odds, with Arizona given the second-worst odds to hoist the Lombardi trophy, and Carolina – a playoff team a year ago, with the eighth-worst odds.

Rookie Beck Headlines Notable Players

Perhaps the two biggest pieces of news here is that Arizona will start rookie pivot Carson Beck, who sits third on their depth chart.

Fresh of a trip to the national championship, where his Miami Hurricanes fell to the Indiana Hoosiers, Beck will be trying to work his way up the depth chart, which currently has start Jacoby Brissett at the top, with Gardner Minshew in the backup role.

He should be able to absorb the playbook and expectations: Beck’s last two college coaches — Kirby Smart at Georgia and Mario Cristobal at Miami — were both from the Nick Saban coaching tree, with branches in the Desert in head coach Mike LaFluer and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.

TRENDING: Carson Beck has looked DIFFERENT since the pads have come on.

Beck’s recent ball placement has reportedly been “impossible” for the Cardinals defense to defend at times.

Beck has reportedly made “exponential” strides since the start of training camp.

The Cardinals… pic.twitter.com/vTpedwmKlL

— Rookie Watch (@RookieWatxh) August 3, 2026

The second piece of intel that is valuable for betting this game is that Carolina head coach Dave Canales said that no starter will see the field for his team’s first preseason game. That extends to quarterback, where Kenny Pickett will get the call, and will likely hand it over to undrafted rook Haynes King at some point.

But Pickett will have some pieces to toss to. Receiver Xavier Legette is a familiar name, but he’s trying to boost his stock after a pair of sub-par years for the 2-24 first round pick, totalling 84 catches for 860 yards and seven scores.

2024 4th-rounder Ja’Tavion Sanders will also try to make an impression. The tight end has totaled 62 catches in his two seasons with Carolina.

Cardinals vs Panthers Betting Trends

With Mike LaFleur taking on his first game as a head coach, we’re not sure yet how he intends to approach this contest, though he’s already said that no key starters will see action.

We know Canales uses these games primarily for evaluation vs results. In his preseason career, the Panthers are just 1-5 in six contests, and have gone 0-6-0 against the spread in those games.

Throw in the fact that the Hall of Fame Game has been about the ‘dogs in recent years. Since 2013, the underdog has gone 8-2-1 ATS, with wins in seven of the last 11 straight up.

Perhaps the stat worth considering — especially with that super-low spread — the Over has cashed in four straight HOF games.