Bears to play Texans in Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 1 to open 2024 NFL season

The Chicago Bears will help kick off the 2024 NFL season.

The NFL announced Tuesday morning that the Bears will play the Houston Texans in the annual Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, Aug. 1, in Canton, Ohio, to begin the preseason. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. The Hall of Fame Game is part of Enshrinement Week.

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Tickets for the game will go on sale Friday, April 12, at 9 a.m. The NFL says the broadcast partner for the game will be announced later this spring.

The Bears were a logical choice to participate in this year’s Hall of Fame Game, since three of the franchise’s former players — Steve McMichael, Devin Hester and Julius Peppers — are among the seven people being enshrined in the Hall of Fame on Saturday, Aug. 3.

It’s an especially emotional and long-awaited honor for McMichael, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2021. After the February announcement that McMichael would enter the Hall of Fame, family members said they’re hopeful McMichael will be able to attend the induction ceremony in August.

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Texans great Andre Johnson, meanwhile, will become that franchise’s first player to enter the Hall of Fame. Dwight Freeney, Randy Gradishar and Patrick Willis are also going in.

Both the Bears-Texans preseason matchup and the Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony will be held at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, adjacent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, which is recognized as the birthplace of the NFL.

The Bears, who won five of their last eight games in 2023, will be designated as the home team and will use the bench on the south sideline of the stadium. The Texans, who reached the divisional round of the playoffs after winning the AFC South last season, will be the visitors and will 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,” Pro Football Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said in a news release. “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 appearance in the Hall of Fame Game. The last was in 2018, a 17-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

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And playing in the Hall of Fame Game has traditionally been a good omen for the Bears. They’ve reached the playoffs each of the last four times they’ve been in it, qualifying as a wild card in 1977 and winning their divisional title in 1990, 2005 and 2018.

The Hall of Fame Game will be the first of four preseason games for the Bears late this summer.

For more information on Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week, visit profootballhof.com/enshrinement.

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