Coronavirus: Cowboys-Steelers Pro Football Hall of Fame Game preseason opener canceled
There will be no Hall of Fame Game to kick off the 2020 NFL preseason schedule.
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The NFL preseason annually kicks off with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game from Canton, Ohio, and this year it featured a marquee matchup – if any exhibition game can have one – between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers, with the Cowboys opening as short favorites on the William Hill NFL odds. However, ESPN was the first to report that the Aug. 6 matchup is being canceled due to the coronavirus and that the Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony set for Aug. 8 is being postponed.
The five Modern-Era players named to the Hall Class of 2020 were safeties Steve Atwater and Troy Polamalu, receiver Isaac Bruce, running back Edgerrin James and guard Steve Hutchinson.
Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher and ex-Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson are part of the Centennial Slate. The league now schedules teams in the Hall of Fame Game who have at least one person being enshrined that weekend. In addition to Cowher, Polamalu starred for Pittsburgh in his playing career.
Not a huge surprise this game has been canceled as the NFL reportedly is looking to cut the preseason from four games per team (five for the Cowboys and Steelers) to two each and thus pushing the start of the exhibition schedule back so clubs can have more time in camp. Dallas and Pittsburgh would have been allowed to report to training camp earlier than the other 30 clubs but now reportedly will do so July 28 with the rest of the league (coronavirus willing).
Multiple teams have reported positive COVID-19 tests so far, with the biggest name being Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott. Pittsburgh also had had some players test positive.
The Cowboys and Steelers are expected to play in the 2021 Hall of Fame Game and the Class of 2020 enshrinement ceremony also will be held next year -- the 2020 and '21 Classes (that class will be led by Peyton Manning) will go in together. Dallas does host Pittsburgh in Week 9 of this year's regular season.
The 2016 Hall of Fame Game (Packers-Colts) was canceled due to field conditions and the 2011 version (Bears-Rams) was a no-go due to a lockout.
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