The former Chicago Bears being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. From l-r: Steve McMichael, Julius Peppers and Devin Hester (Photo Courtesy Pro Football Hall of Fame)
The National Football League will kick off its 105th season and will open up with the Chicago Bears versus the Houston Texans in the NFL Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. The Game will take place Thursday, August 1, at 8 p.m. ET, during Enshrinement Week in Canton, said the Chicago Bears and the NFL.
According to the Bears, the team is the winner of five of their last eight games in 2023 and will be designated as the home team. They will use the bench on the south sideline of the stadium. The Texans, who reached the divisional round of the playoffs in 2023 after winning the AFC South, will be the visitors and use the bench on the north sideline.
“This game features two teams that finished the 2023 season strong and have key pieces in place for 2024,” said Pro Football Hall of Fame President Jim Porter.
“Bears fans have always supported their Hall of Famers, and they can welcome three more who will be enshrined in Canton this year, while Texans fans can see the franchise’s first Hall of Famer up close as part of the game and Enshrinement Weekend. The Pro Football Hall of Fame could not be any more excited about this year’s matchup and this year’s class.”
This will be the Bears’ sixth trip to Canton, their most recent was in 2018. The Texans’ lone appearance in the Hall of Fame Game came in 2002, before the franchise’s inaugural season.
The Bears and Texans will play in the city where the League was born, and the game will take place in the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, adjacent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The broadcast partner for the game will be announced later this spring, according to the Chicago Bears and the NFL.
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago.
