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NFL football is back on Thursday with the start of the preseason, as the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys face each other in the Hall of Fame Game.
August football was halted last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the NFL now has a shortened preseason following the new Collective Bargaining Agreement signed in 2020. Every team will play only three games this month, except for the Steelers and the Cowboys, who have a four-game schedule because of today's Hall of Fame Game.
Take a look at our preview and prediction for the Hall of Fame game today:
NFL Hall of Fame Game preview
The first preseason game for both the Steelers and Cowboys will see a lot of interesting position battles developing.
Steelers: Haskins vs. Rudolph
When Pittsburgh has the ball, the quarterbacks will be in the spotlight. Mason Rudolph will start the game for the Steelers, but he’s got to fend off former first-round pick Dwayne Haskins to be the primary backup. Haskins has been impressive in training camp and has a real shot at surpassing Rudolph for the QB2 job.
On offense, rookie Najee Harris will see his first NFL action against a Cowboys defense that lacks talent. The new offensive line for the Steelers should have an easy task dominating the trenches in the few snaps the first teams participate in.
You can also look for an interesting position battle when the Steelers play defense as to who's stepping into the EDGE position. Alex Highsmith is the primary backup, but the lack of depth behind T. J. Watt and Melvin Ingram leaves a lot of room to grab a roster spot.
Who's gonna back up Dak Prescott?
Garrett Gilbert, Ben DiNucci and Cooper Rush will all see the field at the Hall of Fame Game with Prescott out as a cautionary tale because of his recent shoulder injury. Gilbert seems to be the best player of those three, and the backup competition is wide open with Andy Dalton now with the Chicago Bears.
It's going to be the first time we see Dan Quinn's defense in action, and we should keep an eye on Randy Gregory trying to lock the EDGE2 spot opposite DeMarcus Lawrence, one of the few defensive stars for the Cowboys.
Micah Parsons is also a player worth keeping an eye on in the Hall of Fame Game, as the rookie has the advantage in the battle for the starting spot against Leighton Vander Esch, and he's set to be a key player in Quinn's defense. The secondary, a big concern last year, has a fair challenge against Dwayne Haskins to prove themselves playoff worthy when the season reaches the final months.
Prediction
With both starting quarterbacks out, it's tricky to make a prediction for the Hall of Fame Game. Scores in preseason don't mean as much, but position battles give us a good bet as to who's going to take the game more seriously.
With the battle between Rudolph and Haskins being at a high level for a backup job, the Steelers' offense should dominate a weak Cowboys defense, and Pittsburgh should build a lead in the first half. The Steelers will start the preseason with a win in the Hall of Fame.
