NFL football is almost back! Training camp has begun, and in less than one week we will have an actual (exhibition) matchup.



The Hall of Fame Game, which is not a big deal to most folks but essentially a holiday for bettors, takes place on Aug. 1, with the Atlanta Falcons matching up against the Denver Broncos.

Atlanta opened as a 1-point favorite, but was quickly bet up to -2 within 15 minutes. An exhibition it may be, but clearly bettors were eager to get down some action.

There has since been buyback at some shops, with the line moving to -1.5.

In 13 Hall of Fame games that we’ve tracked via our Bet Labs data, the spread has closed below -4.5 every year. There are no glaring spread trends to speak of, with favorites going 5-5-3 against the spread (ATS).

The over/under opened at 34 and remains there. Historically, totals have ranged from 31.5 to 37, including back-to-back seasons at 34.5. Unders are 7-6 in those game.

Of the 13 games on file, an average of 33.7 points have been scored per game, though it’s been slightly lower at 32.4 over the past five years.

While the sample is small, The Action Network’s John Ewing notes that Falcons coach Dan Quinn has not been kind to bettors in preseason games, going 4-12 ATS.