The Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys were supposed to kick off the 2020 preseason, but they'll be making up for it this year. With the NFL looking forward to next season, the league officially announced that the Steelers and Cowboys will square off in the 2021 Hall of Fame Game.
The 2021 HOF Game game will be a meeting over a year in the making. Originally planned for 2020, this year’s game will be a highly anticipated matchup between 2 storied franchises: the @steelers & @dallascowboys.
How to Attend: https://t.co/qb6lj8Th0k#PFHOF21 | @HOFExperiences pic.twitter.com/ZirvcahLZP
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) February 15, 2021
Following the 2019 season, the NFL announced that the Steelers and Cowboys would take part in the annual Hall of Fame Game in 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the game to be canceled, prompting the league to postpone the showdown until 2021.
The Hall of Fame Game is held every year and is the first game of the preseason. The two teams picked for the annual contest typically have at least one member of their franchise's history being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame that season. The Steelers and Cowboys both fit the bill last year.
Heading into last year's scheduled game, the Steelers had Bill Cowher, Donnie Shell, and Troy Polamalu all inducted into the 2020 Hall of Fame class. On the other hand, the Cowboys had Jimmy Johnson inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
This year, Alan Faneca and Bill Nunn represent the Steelers, while Drew Pearson represents the Cowboys. They were named to the 2021 Hall of Fame class on the night before Super Bowl LV between the Chiefs and Buccaneers.
As of this moment, the league plans on having a normal preseason in 2021 for the Steelers and Cowboys and every other team, with the hopes that the COVID-19 vaccine becomes more universal across the country. Of course, that could be subject to change if the NFL decides it's not worth having a preseason again that could cause potential positive tests.
For the time being, the Steelers-Cowboys game is scheduled to happen on August 5 later this year, with fans having a chance to take part in the festivities. After a year of waiting, two of the most storied franchises in NFL history will kick off the league's preseason games in August.
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