by Sean Murphy
Friday, Jul 26, 2024The annual NFL preseason kickoff matchup in Canton, Ohio - otherwise known as the Hall of Fame Game - takes place in less than a week as the Houston Texans battle the Chicago Bears. Here's a quick look at what to expect in this year's preseason opener.
Early prices have the Bears installed as 1.5-point favorites with the total set at 33 points.
The Texans are brimming with optimism after making great strides in QB C.J. Stroud's first year under center. Of course, we won't see much from Stroud or the rest of Houston's projected regular season starters in this game. Last year, head coach DeMeco Ryans gave his number ones just a single series of action in their first preseason game and even that may be optimistic with this being an additional preseason instalment to the standard three games.
Houston figures to have an advantage in terms of quarterback rotation with experienced passers in Davis Mills and Case Keenum likely to see plenty of snaps in this contest. With that said, given the rather vanilla gameplan that is likely to be employed, it's unlikely we'll see Mills or Keenum letting it fly too often in Canton.
The Bears usher in a new era of sorts with Caleb Williams taking over at quarterback. While rookies generally get the bulk of the action in the preseason, that's unlikely to be the case with Williams serving as Chicago's number one guy right out of the gate. Behind Williams is the uninspiring trio of Tyson Bagent, Brett Rypien and Austin Reed. Bagent has shone in the preseason before so perhaps we'll see a little more creativity from the Bears offense in this contest as they look to instill some confidence heading into a critical campaign.
In the backfield, the Bears do boast considerable depth. Even as you go down the depth chart you'll find guys that have been more than just bit players in Roschon Johnson and Travis Homer. If Chicago elects to impose its will on the ground as this game progresses, it is likely to find some success.
Both of these teams have been successful in recent preseason campaigns but we don't have a lot to go on with briefly-tenured head coaches in Ryans and Eberflus. Last year, the Texans went 2-1 in exhibition play while the Bears settled for 1-2.
Bears fans obviously travel well and with alumni Steve McMichael, Devin Hester and Julius Peppers all entering the Hall of Fame this year, there's even more reason for the stands to be packed with navy and orange on this night. Any sort of emotional boost can help in 'meaningless' August games such as this one.
Early prices have the Bears installed as 1.5-point favorites with the total set at 33 points.
The Texans are brimming with optimism after making great strides in QB C.J. Stroud's first year under center. Of course, we won't see much from Stroud or the rest of Houston's projected regular season starters in this game. Last year, head coach DeMeco Ryans gave his number ones just a single series of action in their first preseason game and even that may be optimistic with this being an additional preseason instalment to the standard three games.
Houston figures to have an advantage in terms of quarterback rotation with experienced passers in Davis Mills and Case Keenum likely to see plenty of snaps in this contest. With that said, given the rather vanilla gameplan that is likely to be employed, it's unlikely we'll see Mills or Keenum letting it fly too often in Canton.
The Bears usher in a new era of sorts with Caleb Williams taking over at quarterback. While rookies generally get the bulk of the action in the preseason, that's unlikely to be the case with Williams serving as Chicago's number one guy right out of the gate. Behind Williams is the uninspiring trio of Tyson Bagent, Brett Rypien and Austin Reed. Bagent has shone in the preseason before so perhaps we'll see a little more creativity from the Bears offense in this contest as they look to instill some confidence heading into a critical campaign.
In the backfield, the Bears do boast considerable depth. Even as you go down the depth chart you'll find guys that have been more than just bit players in Roschon Johnson and Travis Homer. If Chicago elects to impose its will on the ground as this game progresses, it is likely to find some success.
Both of these teams have been successful in recent preseason campaigns but we don't have a lot to go on with briefly-tenured head coaches in Ryans and Eberflus. Last year, the Texans went 2-1 in exhibition play while the Bears settled for 1-2.
Bears fans obviously travel well and with alumni Steve McMichael, Devin Hester and Julius Peppers all entering the Hall of Fame this year, there's even more reason for the stands to be packed with navy and orange on this night. Any sort of emotional boost can help in 'meaningless' August games such as this one.
