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Can you believe it? The new NFL season is here...sort of.
Preseason kicks off Thursday with the Hall of Fame game between the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals.
The exhibition schedule kicks off Thursday night with Carson Beck and the Arizona Cardinals facing Kenny Pickett and the Carolina Panthers in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.
Carolina comes into this one as a -1.5 favorite.
The preseason is an opportunity for rookies, backups and players fighting for roster spots to get snaps and showcase what they can do. Most first-round picks won’t play much. Cardinals running back Jerimiyah Love (No. 3 pick) and Panthers tackle Monroe Freeling (No. 19) are sitting out the opener.
Beck, a third-round pick from Miami, will be under center for new Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur. Veteran Jacoby Brissett is Arizona’s starter and Gardner Minshew is the backup.
“I had no clue I was going to start,” Beck said. “Obviously, I thought I was going to play but I really didn’t have any expectations going into any of this. Obviously, our schedule is absolutely crazy right now, practice, meetings. But I’m looking forward to it.”
Beck, who led the Hurricanes to a national championship matchup against Indiana, said he won’t have any butterflies before the game.
“I think the last time I was nervous was maybe when I was 8 years old for our city championship in Pop Warner,” Beck said. “It’s a game at the end of the day. It’s an opportunity to go out there, have fun with your teammates and play the game that I love. It’s what I love doing.”
Pickett, a first-round pick by the Steelers in 2022 who led Pittsburgh to a 14-10 record in two seasons, has bounced around the league.
He spent the 2024 season with the Eagles before Philadelphia traded him to Cleveland last year. The Browns sent him to the Raiders during training camp and he started two games for Las Vegas. The Panthers signed Pickett to back up Bryce Young.
“Just want to go out there and operate a high level,” Pickett said. “All the hard work that we’re putting in practice you want to see come to life on game day and that’s everyone just doing their job and executing.”
Carolina won the NFC South last season with an 8-9 record.
Betting Markets for This Game
Alternate Spread
Alternate Total Points
1st Half Winner (3-Way)
1st Half Spread
1st Half Total
ARI Cardinals - Receiving + Rushing Yards
CAR Panthers - Receiving + Rushing Yards
ARI Cardinals - Alt Receiving + Rushing Yards
CAR Panthers - Alt Receiving + Rushing Yards
- Mary Montgomery, Gambling911.com
