After a long wait, NFL football is finally back. The preseason is set to kick off on Thursday as the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers are set to square off in Canton, Ohio in the annual Hall of Fame Game.
These two teams were chosen to participate because each has a prominent alumni in the 2026 Hall-of-Fame class: linebacker Luke Kuechly for Carolina and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald for Arizona. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, but there is still a football game to watch first.
Cardinals vs. Panthers: Hall of Fame Game start time and TV channel
The Hall of Fame Game is set for Thursday, Aug. 6 and will air at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC. The game will be NBC's first broadcast of the season and be the only preseason work for their Sunday Night Football crew of Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth and Melissa Stark.
Under the NFL's current TV contracts, NBC will broadcast the Hall of Fame game annually as long as it doesn't fall in an Olympic year. The only times NBC hasn't had the matchup came in 2021 and 2024, which were both Olympic years, as FOX and ESPN covered it in those seasons respectively.
How to stream the Hall of Fame Game
As football fans have gotten used to over the past few years, NBC's coverage will also be available to stream on Peacock. Other streaming options include the NFL+ app, Fubo, and any other streaming packages that carry NBC content.
What to watch for from the Cardinals and Panthers in the Hall of Fame Game
The Hall of Fame Game, which is in essence a bonus preseason game for both teams, hasn't seen many of the marquee stars play more than a handful of snaps in recent years. There are, however, a few compelling storylines to track in this game.
Mike LaFleur's first game
The game marks the first NFL action for new Cardinals' coach Mike LaFleur, the brother of Green Bay Packers' head coach Matt LaFleur. There will likely be a very vanilla game plan from LaFleur, but it will be interesting to see how he approaches situations like when to go for it on fourth down or whether there are more runs or passes in Arizona's game plan.
Carson Beck's first NFL snaps
While Jacoby Brissett isn't going to play in the Hall of Fame game, Arizona will use the opportunity to start third-round pick Carson Beck in the contest. Most experts peg the Cardinals as a team that will be hunting for quarterbacks in the 2027 draft, but Arizona's investment of a Day 2 pick in Beck is a sign that they have some belief he can be an NFL starter at some point.
Carolina's Injuries
It has not been a fun camp for the Panthers, who have already lost two key contributors (linebacker Nic Scourton and rookie receiver Chris Brazzell) for the season due to injuries. It would be hard to blame Carolina for taking as few risks as possible in this game, but any preseason work the Panthers decide to give to players is going to be noteworthy.
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