NFL Hall of Fame Game 2015: Three things to watch
On Sunday night, the NFL Hall of Fame Game begins the 2015 season. Sure, it is only the preseason, but anytime live NFL football is being played, there is a reason to watch and celebrate. This time around, the Hall of Fame is pitting the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings, a rematch of Super Bowl IX.
Next: NFL 2015: X-Factors for all 32 NFL teams
The league is really pushing the Super Bowl rematches this year with the 50th anniversary coming up at Santa Clara. Calif. to finish the campaign. This will be the first of many, and one with a few storylines to look forward to. Let’s run down the top three things you need to watch:
1. Injuries
In the end, the result of this game does not matter. The Vikings and Steelers will be no closer to the Super Bowl if they win 56-0, just like they are no further away with a loss. However, the one major thing that can alter championship hopes is if someone goes down with a serious injury.
Look for the offensive coordinators to utilize quick throws to get the ball out of the quarterback’s hands. Nobody wants to see Teddy Bridgewater or Ben Roethlisberger get taken out on a hit in August.
2. Can the Steelers stop anybody?
This has long been a franchise known for great defenses. Anywhere from the selection of Joe Greene in 1969 to the following 45 years, the Steelers were always tough to score against. Going into 2015, this is a defense with more holes than Swiss cheese. The unit sustained a bevy of losses including Jason Worilds, Troy Polamalu, Brett Keisel and Ike Taylor, but none were bigger than coordinator Dick LeBeau.
With Keith Butler now running the show defensively, can this group show that it is better than many expect it to be? Pittsburgh will face a talented offense in the Vikings with Teddy Bridgewater and Mike Wallace looking to attack. This is a very small sample size, but still worth watching.
3. Is Teddy Bridgewater going to make 2015 a great year?
After taking over for Matt Cassel and Christian Ponder during his rookie year, Bridgewater caused some people to turn their heads. The former star at the University of Louisville showed off a strong and accurate arm, completing 64.4 percent of his passes over 13 games with 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Bridgewater also finished the season very strong, having a pair of 300-yard passing games while tossing six of his touchdowns in the final four games. If the Vikings can finally find a franchise quarterback for the first time since Fran Tarkenton, they could make a surprise run at the NFC playoffs.