2023 NFL Hall of Fame Game best bets: Browns vs. Jets odds

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The NFL is finally back, kicking off with the 2023 preseason opener between the Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets on Thursday night.

Here's a rundown of our 2023 NFL Hall of Fame Game best bets, including Browns vs. Jets odds and picks.

Cleveland Browns vs. New York Jets best bets: 2023 NFL Hall of Fame Game odds, picks for preseason opener

The Hall of Fame Game is the annual preseason kickoff event played to honor the incoming Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees.

As the next group of players is being immortalized in Canton, Ohio, this week, one future HOFer — New York QB Aaron Rodgers — will not suit up for action. Rodgers has not played in the preseason since 2018, and head coach Robert Saleh already confirmed that the trend will not be broken this week.

The same is true for Cleveland's star quarterback Deshaun Watson. Like Rodgers, the veteran QB will sit out the preseason opener.  

Here's the NFL Hall of Fame Game information: 

• Who: Cleveland Browns vs. New York Jets
• Where: Canton, Ohio
• When: Thursday, 8 p.m. ET
• TV: NBC

2023 NFL preseason odds: Cleveland Browns vs. New York Jets odds (Jets -1.5, -121)

One of the benefits of Rodgers sitting out is that the Jets will have continuity at the quarterback position with Zach Wilson, who started nine games in 2022. Wilson only posted a 36.5 QBR but has formed a close relationship with Rodgers during the offseason, and he now has a chance to implement the knowledge the all-time great gave him.

Perhaps the No. 2 pick of the 2021 NFL Draft starts to figure it out following a career reset. 

Since this is the preseason, the starters will get very few, if any reps. That favors the team with more depth, which we believe is the Jets (especially on defense).

Cleveland is already struggling for impact players at several places on the first string and will find it hard with their backups in.

The Jets’ defense also has a strong identity it can stick to no matter who is in the game. The Browns’ quarterback choices of Joshua Dobbs, Kellen Mond and Dorian Thompson-Robinson are a far cry from Watson in terms of ability.

We like the Jets in both game pick markets.

Browns vs. Jets predictions: Take the over (34 points or more)

The 33.5-point over/under line is far fewer points than what will be expected in the regular season. That can be attributed to the starters playing fewer snaps, the teams still having a degree of rust and unfamiliarity, and also the players’ conditioning not being at the optimum level.

Coaches also regularly dumb down the playbook to avoid revealing any secrets before the regular season begins. That makes it easy for defenses to slow down the offense if they can find one stock coverage to sit in.

The line has been moved down to account for all of these reasons, but we ultimately believe the over will hit. We’re expecting Wilson to lead a few early scoring drives and help a Jets team that averaged over 26 points per game in the 2022 preseason. The Browns, even though we believe they will lose, also scored 20-plus points in every preseason game last year, which feeds into the over as one of our NFL Hall of Fame Game best bets.

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Grant Mitchell is a sports and sports betting journalist for Catena Media. A member of Virginia Tech's 2021 graduating class and former NCAA Track & Field athlete, he specializes in basketball, football and soccer coverage.