Pro Football Hall of Fame game - wikipedia Pro Football Hall of Fame game Pro Football Hall of Fame Game Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium before the start of the 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game Recent and upcoming games 2017 season Dallas Cowboys 20 Arizona Cardinals 18 2018 season TBA The Pro Football Hall of Fame Game is an annual National Football League exhibition game that is held the weekend of the Pro Football Hall of Fame 's induction ceremonies. The game is played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, which is located adjacent to the Hall of Fame building in Canton, Ohio. It is traditionally the first game in the NFL 's preseason, marking the end of the NFL 's six - month offseason. Contents 1 Team selection 1.1 Expansion clubs 1.2 Scheduling 2 Television and radio 3 Game history 4 Standings 5 Notes 6 References 7 External links Team selection The two teams that play in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game are typically selected by the league in advance of the remainder of the preseason schedule. The participants are usually announced around the time that the new Hall of Fame members are announced, which coincides with Super Bowl week. Often if a particularly notable player will be entering the Hall of Fame that year a team they were strongly associated with may be selected to play in the game to help maximize attendance and publicity of the game itself. Since 1971, the opponents for each game have traditionally included one AFC team and one NFC team. In 2009, as recognition of the 50th anniversary of the American Football League, the game paired two AFC teams who were part of the `` original eight '' franchises of the AFL, the Tennessee Titans ( dressed as their previous incarnation, the Houston Oilers ) and the Buffalo Bills, whose owner, Ralph Wilson, was inducted into the Hall that year. An all - NFC matchup was scheduled for 2011, but it was canceled due to the 2011 NFL lockout ; the following year, another intra-conference matchup of two NFC teams took its place. Since 2012, both competing teams in the game has had at least one prominent alumnus being inducted into the Hall that year. Because this game and the Hall of Fame 's induction ceremonies are scheduled on the weekend before the league 's regular four - week exhibition season begins, both teams end up playing five exhibition games instead of the normal four, and unlike the Canadian Football League, the league does not remove an exhibition game from another week. Expansion clubs The last four expansion teams to have been added to the league each played in the Hall of Fame Game as their first game. In 1995, expansion clubs Jacksonville and Carolina played one another, and in 2002, Houston was one of the participants. When the Cleveland Browns returned to the league with a rebooted roster in 1999, they too played in the Hall of Fame Game. ( The Baltimore Ravens, while officially considered as being established in 1996, did not play in the Hall of Fame Game that year, nor have they played at any time in their existence. ) Scheduling Prior to the AFL - NFL merger, the Hall of Fame Game was played in August or September, in some cases at the end of the preseason. In 1970, it was moved to the beginning of the preseason. Prior to 2002, it was not uncommon for the game to be played in July. Since 2002, when the league permanently moved the start of the season to the weekend after Labor Day, the game has always been played in early August. The 2011 game was originally scheduled between the St. Louis Rams and the Chicago Bears, but the game was canceled due to an ongoing labor dispute that had disrupted nearly all league activity during the 2011 offseason. The two clubs had set a deadline of July 22 to ratify a resolution in enough time to prepare for the game. The league and players did not ratify the agreement until July 25, forcing cancellation of the game. The 2016 edition, which was scheduled to be played between the Green Bay Packers and the Indianapolis Colts, was canceled due to unsafe playing conditions. Mike Silver of NFL.com reported that on the morning of game day, the logos at midfield and the end zones had been painted using paint which was not intended for use on artificial turf. When it was apparent the paint was n't drying fast enough, the field was heated to speed up the drying process, but this caused the turf 's rubber to melt. These issues led to unfavorable play conditions. The affected areas were described as being slick and `` like cement, '' making it impossible to get decent footing. Stadium officials attempted to address this by applying a solvent, reportedly paint thinner, to the turf. A Packers employee noticed a label warning that this substance could result in burns when exposed to skin, and alerted others to the discovery. When officially cancelling the game, both the league and the Players Association cited safety concerns. Both teams were told at 6 : 40 p.m. -- an hour and 20 minutes before kickoff -- that the game was going to be canceled. However, fans in the stadium only learned of the pending cancellation via social media. No official announcement was made until just before the scheduled 8 p.m. kickoff. On December 28, 2016, the NFL announced that the 2017 edition of the game would be played on Thursday, August 3, 2017. The scheduling change makes the Hall of Fame Game the first event of the Hall of Fame Weekend. On February 23, 2017, it was announced the 2017 edition will be played between the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals. Television and radio Unlike the majority of NFL preseason games, which air on local networks, the Hall of Fame Game airs nationwide. From 1999 to 2005, the game was held on Monday night, televised as part of ABC 's Monday Night Football package. It had previously been held typically on Saturday afternoons, except from 1963 to 1965 on Sunday afternoons, televised as part of ABC 's Wide World of Sports package ( still using the MNF crew ). In 1998, the game was put in the MNF package, and played on a Saturday night, which served as a test run for the move to Monday night. Starting in 2006, it was moved to Sunday night, coinciding with the new NBC Sunday Night Football television package. The 2007 game was telecast on NFL Network as NBC was intending to televise the China Bowl game in Beijing, China ( a game which was postponed to 2009 and later canceled ). The Hall of Fame Game has since bounced between both networks. The 2012 game aired on NFL Network due to NBC 's coverage of the Summer Olympics. After a two - year absence, the game returned to NBC in 2013 and remained on the network until 2015. The 2016 game was scheduled to air on ESPN as it was to be played two days into the 2016 Summer Olympics but the game was canceled due to field conditions, it returned to NBC in 2017 and will remain on the network until 2019. Westwood One owns national radio rights ; it is the only preseason game to air on a nationwide network. Each team 's radio network is also allowed to broadcast the games ( albeit usually with fewer affiliates since exhibition games are traditionally much lower priority to non-sports and non-flagship stations ). In 2007 and 2008, the game was broadcast live in both Ireland and the United Kingdom by Sky Sports. It was not shown in 2009 because of a dispute between Sky Sports and the NFL over TV rights. ESPN America ( formerly North American Sports Network ) broadcasts the game in the rest of Europe. From 1998 to 2005, the Global Television Network aired the game in Canada, simulcasting ABC ; upon the move to Sunday night in 2006, the CTV Television Network aired the game until 2010. With CTV airing the 2012 Summer Olympics, TSN broadcast the Hall of Fame Game in 2012. Azteca 7 aired Spanish - language coverage of the Hall of Fame Game in Mexico from 1998 to 2005 ; the Game moved to Canal 5 in 2006 and aired on that station until 2010. Due to the cancellation of the 2011 Hall of Fame Game and Televisa 's Summer Olympics coverage, the Hall of Fame Game moved to Televisa Deportes in 2012 and then to Galavision in 2013. Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium is part of the Cleveland market, and is also within 75 miles of numerous other television markets in northeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania. As such, the NBC affiliates ( and before them, the ABC affiliates ) are within league requirements to blackout the game in the rare event the game does not sell out. Because the stadium only holds 22,375 fans ( less than half the NFL 's minimum requirements for its stadiums ) and the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies bring large numbers of outside fans to Canton, the game has, to date, always sold out ( several NFL teams, as well as the Super Bowl, have similarly enjoyed long sellout streaks ). Game history Date Away team Away score Home team Home score Recap August 11, 1962 New York Giants 21 St. Louis Cardinals 21 Recap September 8, 1963 Cleveland Browns 7 Pittsburgh Steelers 16 Recap September 6, 1964 Baltimore Colts 48 Pittsburgh Steelers 17 Recap September 12, 1965 Detroit Lions Washington Redskins 20 Recap August 5, 1967 Cleveland Browns 13 Philadelphia Eagles 28 Recap August 3, 1968 Dallas Cowboys 24 Chicago Bears 30 Recap September 13, 1969 Green Bay Packers 38 Atlanta Falcons 24 Recap August 8, 1970 New Orleans Saints 14 Minnesota Vikings 13 Recap July 31, 1971 Houston Oilers 6 Los Angeles Rams 17 Recap July 29, 1972 Kansas City Chiefs 23 New York Giants 17 Recap July 28, 1973 San Francisco 49ers 20 New England Patriots 7 Recap July 27, 1974 Buffalo Bills 13 St. Louis Cardinals 21 Recap August 2, 1975 Washington Redskins 17 Cincinnati Bengals 9 Recap July 24, 1976 Denver Broncos 10 Detroit Lions 7 Recap July 30, 1977 Chicago Bears 20 New York Jets 6 Recap July 29, 1978 Miami Dolphins Philadelphia Eagles 17 Recap July 28, 1979 Dallas Cowboys 13 Oakland Raiders 20 Recap August 2, 1980 San Diego Chargers 0 Green Bay Packers 0 Recap August 1, 1981 Atlanta Falcons 10 Cleveland Browns 24 Recap August 7, 1982 Baltimore Colts 14 Minnesota Vikings 30 Recap July 30, 1983 New Orleans Saints 14 Pittsburgh Steelers 27 Recap July 28, 1984 Seattle Seahawks 38 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0 Recap August 3, 1985 New York Giants 21 Houston Oilers 20 Recap August 2, 1986 New England Patriots 21 St. Louis Cardinals 16 Recap August 8, 1987 San Francisco 49ers 20 Kansas City Chiefs 7 Recap July 30, 1988 Cincinnati Bengals 14 Los Angeles Rams 7 Recap August 5, 1989 Washington Redskins 31 Buffalo Bills 6 Recap August 4, 1990 Cleveland Browns 0 Chicago Bears 13 Recap July 27, 1991 Detroit Lions 14 Denver Broncos Recap August 1, 1992 New York Jets 41 Philadelphia Eagles 14 Recap July 31, 1993 Green Bay Packers Los Angeles Raiders 19 Recap July 30, 1994 San Diego Chargers 17 Atlanta Falcons 21 Recap July 29, 1995 Carolina Panthers 20 Jacksonville Jaguars 14 Recap July 27, 1996 Indianapolis Colts 10 New Orleans Saints Recap July 26, 1997 Minnesota Vikings 28 Seattle Seahawks 26 Recap August 1, 1998 Pittsburgh Steelers 6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30 Recap August 9, 1999 Dallas Cowboys 17 Cleveland Browns 20 Recap July 31, 2000 New England Patriots 20 San Francisco 49ers 0 Recap August 6, 2001 St. Louis Rams 17 Miami Dolphins 10 Recap August 5, 2002 Houston Texans 17 New York Giants 34 Recap August 4, 2003 Kansas City Chiefs 9 Green Bay Packers 0 Recap August 9, 2004 Denver Broncos 17 Washington Redskins 20 Recap August 8, 2005 Chicago Bears 27 Miami Dolphins 24 Recap August 6, 2006 Oakland Raiders 16 Philadelphia Eagles 10 Recap August 5, 2007 New Orleans Saints 7 Pittsburgh Steelers 20 Recap August 3, 2008 Indianapolis Colts 16 Washington Redskins 30 Recap August 9, 2009 Buffalo Bills 18 Tennessee Titans 21 Recap August 8, 2010 Dallas Cowboys 16 Cincinnati Bengals 7 Recap August 7, 2011 Canceled due to 2011 NFL lockout Ref. August 5, 2012 Arizona Cardinals 10 New Orleans Saints 17 Recap August 4, 2013 Miami Dolphins 20 Dallas Cowboys 24 Recap August 3, 2014 New York Giants 17 Buffalo Bills 13 Recap August 9, 2015 Pittsburgh Steelers Minnesota Vikings 14 Recap August 7, 2016 Canceled due to poor field conditions Ref. August 3, 2017 Dallas Cowboys 20 Arizona Cardinals 18 Recap August 5, 2018 TBA TBA Standings Team PCT Last appearance Washington Redskins 5 0 0 1.000 2008 Chicago Bears 0 0 1.000 2005 Oakland / Los Angeles Raiders 0 0 1.000 2006 Carolina Panthers 0 0 1.000 1995 Minnesota Vikings 0. 750 2015 Pittsburgh Steelers 0. 500 2015 New England Patriots 0. 667 2000 San Francisco 49ers 0. 667 2000 Los Angeles / St. Louis Rams 0. 667 Kansas City Chiefs 0. 667 2003 New York Giants. 625 2014 Dallas Cowboys 0. 500 2017 Indianapolis / Baltimore Colts 0. 500 2008 Philadelphia Eagles 0. 500 2006 New York Jets 0. 500 Seattle Seahawks 0. 500 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0. 500 1998 Cleveland Browns 0. 400 1999 New Orleans Saints 0. 400 2012 Green Bay Packers. 375 2003 Cincinnati Bengals 0. 333 Atlanta Falcons 0. 333 1994 Denver Broncos 0. 333 Detroit Lions 0. 333 1991 Tennessee Titans / Houston Oilers 0. 333 2009 Arizona / St. Louis Cardinals. 300 2017 Los Angeles / San Diego Chargers 0. 250 1994 Baltimore Ravens 0 0 0 -- N / A Houston Texans 0 0. 000 2002 Jacksonville Jaguars 0 0. 000 1995 Buffalo Bills 0 0. 000 2014 Miami Dolphins 0 0. 000 2013 Most appearances -- 6 : Pittsburgh Steelers ( 1963, 1964, 1983, 1998, 2007, and 2015 ) and Dallas Cowboys ( 1968, 1979, 1999, 2010, 2013, and 2017 ) Most wins -- 5 : Washington Redskins ( 1965, 1975, 1989, 2004, and 2008 ) Longest active drought without Hall of Fame Game appearance -- 26 seasons : Detroit Lions ( last appearance -- 1991 ) ; 25 seasons : New York Jets ( last appearance -- 1992 ) ; 23 seasons : Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Chargers ( last appearance -- 1994 ) ; 22 seasons : Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars ( last appearance -- 1995 ) Active teams to have never made a Hall of Fame Game appearance -- Baltimore Ravens Notes Jump up ^ Game ended with 5 : 29 remaining in the fourth quarter due to severe lightning. Jump up ^ Game ended with 5 : 49 remaining in the third quarter due to severe lightning. References Jump up ^ `` Individual Tickets & Festival Fan Packages ''. Profootballhof.com. Retrieved 2012 - 09 - 28. Jump up ^ Silver, Mike ( 2016 - 08 - 04 ). `` Hall of Fame Game cancellation : NFL made the right decision ''. NFL.com. Jump up ^ Demovsky, Rob ( August 7, 2016 ). `` Poor field conditions force cancellation of Hall of Fame game ''. ESPN.com. Retrieved August 7, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Hall of Fame Game fiasco : How the wrong paint, melted rubber, and caustic paint thinner nixed Packers - Colts ''. Acme Packing Company ( SBNation ). Vox Media. Retrieved 10 August 2016. Jump up ^ Doyel, Gregg ( 2016 - 08 - 07 ). `` Doyel : NFL fans deserve better ''. The Indianapolis Star. Jump up ^ `` Annual Hall of Fame Game moved to Thursday night ''. NFL.com. Retrieved 29 December 2016. Jump up ^ `` '' Sunday Night Football '' Debuts ``. NBC Sports History Page. 2006 NFL Record and Fact Book. p. 401. ISBN 1 - 933405 - 32 - 5. `` AFC - NFC Hall of Fame Game ''. Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2006 - 09 - 04. Retrieved 2006 - 09 - 08. 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Question: why was hall of fame game cancelled last year
Answer: Canceled due to poor field conditions