That’s right, football is back – sort of. The NFL preseason is set to get underway Thursday night with the annual Hall of Fame Game at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio as the Denver Broncos collide with the Atlanta Falcons. Although this is just a small opportunity for some of the starters to knock some rust off, the Broncos are a 3-point favorite with the total Sportsbook at 34 points.
Broncos vs Falcons Game Center
Standout Stats
- The Broncos are making their first Hall of Fame Game appearance since 2004 and hold an all-time record of 1-2. The Falcons are also 1-2 all-time in this game and are playing in it for the first time since 1994.
- Since 1995, the favorite has a record of 16-6 SU but 11-8-3 ATS. More recently, the faves have gone 8-2 SU and 6-3-1 ATS over the last 10 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in six of the last 10 Hall of Fame Games, dating back to 2007, with an average combined score of 32.4.
- Last year’s preseason saw Denver go 2-2 SU and ATS, winning the two games on the road by an average margin of 11.5 while losing both home games with an average losing margin of 7.5. Additionally, the total went OVER in all four preseason games for the Broncos last year with an average combined score of 48.5.
- In 2018, Atlanta went 0-4 SU and ATS in the preseason, with an average losing margin of 14 on the road and 20.5 at home. The total went UNDER in three of the Falcons’ four games with an average combined score of 30.75.
- Typically, the starters play just a handful of snaps – if any – so for Denver, I anticipate we will see some work from rookie quarterbacks Drew Lock and Brett Rypien, while Matt Schaub and Kurt Benkert will have the throwing duties for Atlanta.
- This marks the debut of head coach Vic Fangio for the Broncos, making the jump from being the defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears since 2015 where he took that defense from 30th-ranked to a top-10 unit over his tenure.
- The 2019 season is Dan Quinn’s fifth as the head coach of the Falcons and they have gone 5-11 SU and 4-12 ATS in the preseason over that span. The total has gone UNDER in 10 of those games with an average combined score of 34.63. You can find all the head coaching preseason records in Joe Osborne’s article.
My Best Bet for Denver vs Atlanta
Broncos moneyline (-150)
Tail at your own risk as the game will likely just feature a bunch of backup or third-string players vying for a spot on the final roster. I like the Broncos’ depth more than the Falcons’ and Atlanta’s head coach, Dan Quinn, has lost eight straight preseason games and hasn’t found overall success at all ahead of the regular season. Additionally, with Vic Fangio making his head coaching debut, the Broncos may have extra motivation to get him his first win.
| Year | Team | Score | Team | Score | Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Bears | 27 | Dolphins | 24 | Chi -3 |
| 2006 | Raiders | 16 | Eagles | 10 | Phi -2.5 |
| 2007 | Saints | 7 | Steelers | 20 | Pit -3 |
| 2008 | Colts | 16 | Redskins | 30 | Was -4.5 |
| 2009 | Bills | 18 | Titans | 21 | Ten -3 |
| 2010 | Cowboys | 16 | Bengals | 7 | Dal -3 |
| 2012 | Cardinals | 10 | Saints | 17 | NO -2.5 |
| 2013 | Dolphins | 20 | Cowboys | 24 | Mia -3 |
| 2014 | Giants | 17 | Bills | 13 | Buf -3 |
| 2015 | Steelers | 3 | Vikings | 14 | Min -3.5 |
| 2017 | Cardinals | 18 | Cowboys | 20 | Dal -1.0 |
| 2018 | Bears | 16 | Ravens | 17 | Bal -2.5 |
*2016’s game was canceled due to unsafe playing conditions; 2011’s game was canceled as a result of the NFL lockout.
