The NFL returns tonight.
It's been nearly six months since the Philadelphia Eagles hoisted the Lombardi Trophy and the annual Hall of Fame Game is the first head-to-head NFL competition since.
Tonight's game in Canton, Ohio is the first of the NFL preseason, which now consists of three weeks of exhibition games that will continue on Thursday, August 7. This year, the Detroit Lions are the designated home team versus the Los Angeles Chargers to kick off the action.
The Hall of Fame Game also represents the start of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Enshrinement Week. The game's inception dates back to 1962. It's technically not a preseason game but an exhibition between two teams that typically have a historical connection to the current class of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees.
On Saturday, August 2, former Chargers tight end Antonio Gates, alongside Eric Allen, Jared Allen and Sterling Sharpe, will be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
