Pro Football is back Tonight! Hall of Fame Game, Bears and Texans, 8 PM, ESPN

By Lydia Jane Allison

 

The Chicago Bears will take on the Houston Texans in the 2024 Hall of Fame Game at 8 p.m. ET Thursday, Aug. 1, during Enshrinement Week in Canton, Ohio.

The matchup, which kicks off the National Football League’s 105th season in the city where the League was born, will take place in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium — adjacent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The broadcast partner for the game is ESPN and ABC.

The Bears, winners of five of their last eight games in 2023, will be designated as the home team. They will use the bench on the south sideline of the stadium. The Texans, who reached the divisional round of the playoffs in 2023 after winning the AFC South, will be the visitors and 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. “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 trip to Canton, with their most recent in 2018. The Texans’ lone appearance in the Hall of Fame Game came in 2002, before the franchise’s inaugural season.

Legends from both franchises — DEVIN HESTER, STEVE McMICHAEL and JULIUS PEPPERS of the Bears and ANDRE JOHNSON from the Texans — will be enshrined two days later as members of the Class of 2024 presented by Visual Edge IT. DWIGHT FREENEY, RANDY GRADISHAR and PATRICK WILLIS also will be enshrined at the annual ceremony, which will take place Saturday, Aug. 3, inside Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

Tickets for the 2024 Hall of Fame Game and Enshrinement are available here. 

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week, a multi-day celebration welcoming the newest Hall of Fame class, is held each year in Canton.

The 2024 Enshrinement Week will include:

  • Aug. 1: Hall of Fame Game (Texans vs. Bears)
  • Aug. 2: Fashion Show
  • Aug. 2: Enshrinees’ Gold Jacket Dinner, presented by Haggar
  • Aug. 3: The Canton Repository Grand Parade
  • Aug. 3: Class of 2024 Enshrinement. BUY TICKETS HERE.
  • Aug. 4: Enshrinees’ Roundtable, presented by Certified Angus Beef
  • Aug. 4: Concert for Legends, featuring Carrie Underwood

 

Hall of Fame Game results for Bears, Texans

Chicago Bears (4-1)

  • 1968 — vs. Dallas Cowboys (W, 30-24)
  • 1977 — vs. New York Jets (W, 20-6)
  • 1990 — vs. Cleveland Browns (W, 13-0)
  • 2005 — vs. Miami Dolphins (W, 27-24)
  • 2018 — vs. Baltimore Ravens (L, 17-16)

 

 

Houston Texans (0-1)

  • 2002 — vs. New York Giants (L, 34-17)

 

 

 

COURTESY PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME