There is still plenty of summer left, but signs of fall are upon us as the NFL will kick-off its preseason games next week. The annual Hall Of Fame game in Canton, Ohio features the Chicago Bears taking on the Baltimore Ravens Thursday, August 2nd at 8:00pm. The game will be broadcast nationally on NBC if you are "ready for some football".

The Hall Of Fame game has opened the NFL preseason almost every year since 1962. The first game ended in a 21-21 tie between the New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals (who now play in Arizona). The two years the game wasn't played were both fairly recent. In 2011 the game was canceled due to an NFL lockout and in 2016 it was canceled due to poor field conditions.

The Detroit Lions have played in the Hall Of Fame game three times and have a 1-2 record. In 1965, they lost to the Washington Redskins 20-3 and in 1976 they fell 10-7 to the Denver Broncos. Their only win in the featured game came in 1991 as they played the Denver Broncos again and won 14-3. This happened to be ahead of the Lions most successful season in the Super Bowl-era as they went 12-4 in the regular season, pounded the Dallas Cowboys 38-6 in the NFC Divisional Playoff game at the Silverdome and came one game short of the Super Bowl, losing big to the red hot Washington Redskins 41-10 in the NFC Championship.

Chicago Bears v Detroit Lions
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Here is the Detroit Lions 2018 NFL Preseason schedule:

  • @ Oakland Raiders              - Friday 8/10 at 10:30pm (Local TV)
  • vs New York Giants              - Friday 8/17 at 7:00pm (Local TV)
  • @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers   - Friday 8/24 at 8:00pm (CBS)
  • vs Cleveland Browns            - Thursday 8/30 at 7:00pm (Local TV)

The Detroit Lions regular season opener is part of a Monday Night Football doubleheader on September 10th from Ford Field against the New York Jets. The game begins at 7:10 on ESPN.

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