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The 2021 NFL preseason schedule gets underway on Thursday, Aug. 5 with the annual Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. Game time on FOX is set for 8 p.m.
The opening betting lines for this inter-conference tilt favor the Pittsburgh Steelers by 1.5 points on the spread. The total line for this game is set at 33.5 points. The money line odds favor the Steelers at -124 with the odds set at +102 for the Dallas Cowboys.
Hall of Fame Game Preview: Cowboys vs. Steelers
Do not expect to see too many starters for either team take the field on Thursday night. The opening preseason game is normally reserved for each team’s rookies and players further down on the depth chart.
However, betting the game still draws some action at online sportsbooks. Dallas could be a value play as a slight underdog. The motivation level for a winning start may be higher than Pittsburgh’s.
The Cowboys are coming off a very forgettable season in 2020. They lost starting quarterback Dak Prescott early in the year on their way to a straight-up record of 6-10.
Pittsburgh was able to lead the way in the highly competitive AFC North at 12-4 in 2020. Both Cleveland and Baltimore were just one game back at 11-5.
The Steelers are going with veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as their starter in what could be one last chance for a Super Bowl run. With absolutely nothing on the line for Thursday night’s contest, Pittsburgh will be content giving as many players as possible some playing time in this game.
2021 Team Futures Odds
Dallas is currently set as a +150 favorite to win the NFC East this season ahead of Washington at +200 betting odds. The Cowboys’ odds to win the NFC are fifth on the board at +1200. They move to +2500 to win Super Bowl LVI.
Pittsburgh is third on the board to win the AFC North in 2021 at +425 behind Baltimore (+135) and Cleveland (+145). The Steelers have +2200 odds to win the AFC and +4000 odds to win the Super Bowl.
Hall of Fame Game Betting Trends: Cowboys vs. Steelers
Dallas does have a 4-2 edge against the spread in its last six games against Pittsburgh. However, it is just 5-11 ATS in its last 16 games overall.
The Cowboys are 2-5 straight-up in seven previous games against the Steelers and they are 1- 6 SU in their last seven games against any AFC team.
The total has stayed UNDER in their last seven games played in the month of August. Pittsburgh failed to cover in five of its last seven games played. It also lost five of its last six games SU.
The Steelers have won six of their last seven games SU against a team from the NFC East division. They are 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 August games.
The total has gone OVER in six of Pittsburgh’s last seven games played on a Thursday.
NFL Hall of Fame Game Prediction
With nothing on the line, I still think that Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy has a vested interest in getting his team a much needed win to start the 2021 campaign. Nothing went right last year in a number of bad losses. Starting this year on a winning note moves the entire team forward.
I also see the Cowboys as the slightly deeper team when it comes to overall talent. Their second and third-string players have more to prove that Pittsburgh’s reserves. That should result in a tight win that goes OVER the current total line.
Game Prediction: Dallas 23 Pittsburgh 20
Read our Dallas Cowboys team preview for the 2021 NFL season.
