The 2014 NFL season is a little more than a month away, but the start of the preseason is only a few days away. The first preseason game of the season is the Pro Football Hall of Fame game, which is the final event of the Hall of fame weekend celebrations. The game will be between the New York Giants and the Buffalo Bills, and it will be held at Fawcett stadium in Canton, Ohio, on Sunday, August 3, at 8:00 PM. ET.
Both teams had a very disappointing season last year, and will be looking to bounce back by making the playoffs this year.
The New York Giants missed the playoffs for the second straight year, and had their second losing season since Tom Coughlin became the head coach 10 years ago. They had a lot of injuries and turned the ball over a lot on offense, which caused them to fall behind in a lot of their games last year.
Eli Manning wasn’t his usual self last season, and threw a league leading and career high 27 interceptions last year, because he had to throw the ball a lot, due to injuries to their running backs. The team addressed their lack of depth at the running back position by signing free agent running back Rashad Jennings to their roster.
The team also had to deal with injuries to their offensive line, and the retirement of the Chris Snee this week, so they signed Geoff Schwartz to their offensive line, to provide extra protection for Manning. They also signed former Denver Bronco, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to add some talent and experience to their secondary.
The Bills have been the AFC East doormats for the past decade, but they are trying to get themselves back into contention. They have made some big free agency moves in recent years, signing former Houston Texan, Mario Williams, and they have also drafted well in recent years, with players like C.J. Spiller, Jarius Byrd, and Kiko Alonso.
With the addition of quarterback E.J. Manuel in the 2013 draft, and wide receiver Sammy Watkins in the 2014 draft, the bills feel like they have the pieces in place to be a playoff team for years to come. The team also addressed their woeful run defense from last season with the addition of Brandon Spikes, and they are hoping that all these moves translate to their first winning season in ten years.
Game Line: There is no betting line available for this game but make sure to check out all the NFL Betting action at www.skybook.ag
Personal Pick: The Bills will play their starters more in this game and will end up wining it.