Six long months after the confetti fell in Las Vegas at the end of Super Bowl LVIII, the NFL is back tonight.
It may feel like the sport has never been away, after free agency, the draft and training camp, but the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans will head onto the gridiron in Canton, Ohio for the 2024 Hall of Fame Game, which sounds the starter pistol on the preseason.
So what should you be looking out for tonight? DAZN takes a look…
The new kick-off
Even if you’re not a huge fan of preseason football, at the very least you’ll want to watch the opening kick-off.
That’s because the NFL’s new kick-off rule will be in operation for the very first time, as the league begins a one-year trial basis for the so-called ‘hybrid kick-off’ play.
When the two teams line up to start the game, all bar the kicker and returners will be within a 10-yard zone down the field. The intention is to both increase safety and bring back more excitement to what has become a routine part of the game in recent seasons.
Actually seeing it in action will help fans get their heads around the new rule and we should hopefully see some big returns and innovative play calling around it.
Fringe players and rookies set to stake their claim
While viewers will be denied the opportunity of seeing this year’s number one overall draft pick Caleb Williams in action after Bears head coach Mike Eberflus confirmed his starters would not feature in Canton, we should still see some promising new faces in action.
The Texans could give their second-round pick Kamari Lassiter an outing at cornerback, while the Bears intriguingly took a punter with their fourth-round selection, so we should be able to see Tory Taylor begin to show why he was worth such a high draft pick.
Other familiar faces in new spots include Texan trio Jeff Okudah, C.J. Henderson and Mike Ford.
Tonight’s quarterbacks
As mentioned above, we won’t see Caleb Williams tonight, while the Texans will also rest their key starters, given this is an additional game to the usual slate of preseason fixtures.
That means we’re likely to see Tyson Bagent, who came in for the injured Justin Fields at the end of last season, start under centre for the Bears. Brett Rypien and rookie Austin Reed should also both see second-half action.
The Texans are likely to start with Davis Mills as he looks to cement his position as C.J. Stroud’s back-up this year, with Case Keenum and Tim Boyle also on the roster, so expect them to feature after half-time.
The start of a weekend of celebrations
Tonight’s game is played in the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, adjacent to the Hall itself and marks the start of a weekend of celebration for the Class of 2024, who will be inducted this weekend.
Both of tonight’s teams will see former players awarded the famous gold jacket in Canton. The Bears will welcome kick-returning legend Devin Hester into the Hall, plus defensive duo Steve McMichael and Julius Peppers, while former Texans wide reciever Andre Johnson is also part of this year’s intake.
Live on DAZN: Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov on August 3. Click here for details.