The Buffalo Bills are a 2.5-point favorite this Sunday at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio, going up against the New York Giants.
2014 Hall of Fame Game odds: New York Giants vs. Buffalo Bills
NFL betting is back, sort of, as NFL preseason action kicks off with the Hall of Fame Game. See the odds between the Giants and Bills.
Nick Laham
After failing to reach the playoffs last season, both of these teams will be looking to set the right tone to the 2014 season with a win in the Hall of Fame Game.
Buffalo has stumbled to a 3-10 SU mark in its past 13 preseason games, according to the OddsShark.com NFL preseason database, mirroring the team’s struggles in the regular season.
The Bills went 6-10 SU and 8-8 ATS last season. It was the third straight season that the Bills finished with a 6-10 record, extending their playoff drought to 14 seasons.
New Hall of Famers
Quarterback EJ Manuel showed flashes of brilliance in his first year, but also made his share of rookie mistakes in an injury-shortened season. The Bills used their first two draft picks to acquire wide receiver Sammy Watkins and offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio to help Manuel in his sophomore campaign.
In five seasons from 2009 to 2013, the New York Giants made the playoffs only once. Fortunately for head coach Tom Coughlin, the Giants made the most of that one chance and won the Super Bowl in 2011.
New York went just 7-9 SU and ATS in 2013, the team's worst campaign since 2004. Eli Manning and the receiving corps will need to be a lot better in 2014 for the Giants to get back on track; Eli Manning threw for fewer touchdowns last season than he has in any year since his rookie season in 2004, and he set a new career high in interceptions.
First-round draft pick Odell Beckham Jr. will be one of those asked to help lift the receiving corps up.
Coughlin’s history suggests that he doesn’t care too much about the preseason; he hasn’t had a winning record in the preseason since 2006. But last year the Giants lost each of their last three preseason games and then started the season off with an 0-6 SU and 1-5 ATS slump.
While starters will be taken out of the game very early on both sides, as is always the case in early preseason games, this should still be a hard-fought game for two teams that could use an early win for morale.
