The 2021 NFL season kicks off Thursday night for the annual Hall of Fame Game, and it rightfully features two of the most storied franchises in the game. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys face each other in Canton, Ohio. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET, and it will be televised on FOX.

It’s a worthy and timely Hall of Fame Game matchup. The two teams have not only combined for 11 Super Bowl championships, but six entrants to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend made their mark on one of the two teams. On NFL futures markets, the Cowboys are +3000 to win the Super Bowl, and the Steelers are +4500.

If you have the urge to bet on the NFL, this is your first opportunity to do so since the Super Bowl last February. The Steelers are favored by two points in the latest NFL odds for the Hall of Fame Game. The Over/Under is set at just 32 points at most sportsbooks and betting sites.

Hall Of Fame Game Odds

Odds via DraftKings and current as of publication. Check out our DraftKings sportsbook review.

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Cowboys To Watch

Dak Prescott will not play on Thursday, so the offense will be headed by QBs Garrett Gilbert, Cooper Rush and Ben DiNucci. Gilbert has the inside track for the No. 2 spot, but each QB will have their chance.

First-round pick Micah Parsons has grand expectations to quickly improve Dallas’ struggling defense. The star LB out of Penn State will get his first action on Thursday, as will second-round CB Kelvin Joseph and fourth-round LB Jabril Cox.

Steelers To Watch

First-round pick Najee Harris is expected to see action against a Cowboys defense that ranked 31st against the run in 2020.

No Ben Roethlisberger here, so Mason Rudolph will make his last claim to be the heir apparent when Big Ben finally hangs it up. Dwayne Haskins – who has made it clear he wants to be the top backup in Pittsburgh – will see considerable action as well.

On defense, Pro Bowl LB Melvin Ingram will suit up for the first time since inking a deal to leave the Chargers.

RELATED: NFL Week 1 Lines, Odds & Analysis For All 16 Games

Hall Of Fame Game Picks

Picking a winner in a preseason game is akin to flipping a coin. If you feel the itch to open your sports betting app and wager on the first football action of the season, the total is worth considering.

The 32-point total is very low – the Packers averaged 31.5 ppg by themselves in games that mattered last season. But when it comes to the Hall of Fame game – an extra preseason game in a world in which teams wish they only had fewer – defense rules. Only one of the last five Hall of Fame Games has totaled more than 30 points. No single team has scored more 20 points since 2013.

Regardless of how much action any regular gets, defense rules here. When it comes to sides, the Steelers have the advantage on defense and in QB depth; go Pittsburgh moneyline at -125 with FanDuel .

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