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The first live game of the 2021 NFL season kicks off Thursday with the Hall of Fame game. The game will be played at the beginning of the Hall of Fame festivities as this year's Hall of Fame class is inducted in Canton, Ohio. Both the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers will play an additional preseason game, which can be a blessing and a curse for a team's preseason. If interested in viewing the first NFL game of the season, here is a guide on how to watch, team news, and players to watch for in the Hall of Fame game.
How to watch the Hall of Fame Game, team news, and players to watch
How to watch
The NFL Hall of Fame game will be played at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio on August 5th, 2021 at 8pm eastern. Fans will be able to attend the game at this point in time. The game will be broadcasted on FOX and available for streaming on the FOX app as well. You can listen to the game coverage on Steelers Radio Network.
Game preview
Several top players won't be suiting up or playing in the Hall of Fame game, allowing coaches to get a look at their second and third-team players. This is the sixth Hall of Fame game appearance for both Dallas and Pittsburgh, a record number. Most starters won't play other than the rookies: Dak Prescott, Zach Martin, Tyron Smith, Amari Cooper, Ben Roethlisberger, Juju Smith-Schuster, and TJ Watt to name a few.
Expect to see several changes in personnel on the field by both teams, as coaches will get to see the majority of their roster in action. For Pittsburgh, Mason Rudolph will start with Dwyane Haskins seeing some action in the first half. Joshua Dobbs will play most of the second half. Garrett Gilbert, Cooper Rush, and Ben DiNucci will all play under center, but the order is still unknown.
Team news
QB Dak Prescott is resting a shoulder injury and won't travel with the team. he should still be ready for Week 1, but likely won't see any playing time in the preseason until at least the last game.
QB Ben Roethlisberger might not retire after this season...shcoker, right? President Dan Rooney has stated there is no writing on the wall yet on his return for the 2022 season. The Steelers also recently lost CB DeMarkis Acy to a torn ACL and several other players are banged up this week: Pat Freiermuth, Eric Ebron, Cody White and Zach Banner, for instance.
Playes to watch
Pittsburgh: OT Dan Moore - a solid performance could elevate him into serious contention for the LT starting job. QB Dwayne Haskins - he's had a pretty good camp thus far, but can he turn it into success in a real game?
Dallas: LB Micah Parsons - has gotten rave reviews from coaches and could play a crucial role on defense. All three QBs - none really have an edge yet in the battle to be QB2.
