The Hall of Fame Game may be an exhibition match and the kick-off of the professional football preseason, but that doesn’t mean you can’t purse the action if you like to bet on NFL. For example, on the Green Bay Packers, who will be taking on the Indianapolis Colts on August, Sunday 7th at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. It might be said that the Packers are morally obligated to win the game, seeing as how legendary Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre will headline the 2016 Hall of Fame class the day prior (but don’t let that sway you when you place an online NFL bet).
Not to detract from the other inductees – including those with ties to the Colts – but there is no denying the legacy of the Gunslinger, most of which was built in his 16 seasons with the Green and Gold (just Red for a Karma Chameleon). Favre’s numerous individual career NFL and Green Bay records are simply too many and too varied to list here, but they include most wins, most career passes attempted and completed (8,754 attempts and 5,377 completions), and most consecutive starts (253 games). In addition to that, he’s the only player to be named the AP Most Valuable Player three times in a row. Favre is a one-time Super Bowl Champion (XXXI), 8-time division champion, 11-time Pro Bowler, three-time NFL MVP, four-time passing TDs leader, and two-time passing yards leader, among a multitude of other accolades.
Favre’s is a truly inspirational career – which includes such highlights as receiving an ovation from the Raider Nation, in Oakland, after deciding to play in a 2003game versus the Raiders, only one day removed from his father’s death. Packers fans who bet on NFL will hope that Green Bay finds inspiration in their long-time icon to beat the Colts at the Hall of Fame Game and improve their preseason record. The Packers are 1-2-1 in five HoF Game appearances (beat the Atlanta Falcons 38-24 in 1969; tied with the Chargers 0-0 in 1980; and lost to the Raiders 3-19 in 1993, and to the Chiefs 0-9 in 2003). Moreover, Indianapolis leads the preseason series between the two teams 5-4, although Green Bay did win their last encounter 24-21 in 2011 in Indianapolis. And a year earlier, the Packers beat the Colts 59-24 in Green Bay.
On the other hand, Green Bay fans who bet on NFL should not expect the Packers to go all out, on the HoF Game or the rest of the preseason for that matter. The memory of wide receiver Jordy Nelson’s torn ACL in week 2 of the 2015 preseason is still fresh in the minds of head coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett. Even though Nelson has fully recovered from that season injury, you won’t be likely to see him versus the Colts; the coaching staff may or may not be superstitious, but they simply won’t risk the WR or most, if any, of the team’s starters. Still, The Pack’s fans will probably still be singing ‘Go! You Packers Go!’ – which, come to think of it, sounds oddly familiar to what Ozzy yells in concert.
