NFL Hall of Fame Game 2015: Teams, Date, Time and TV Info Announced

Despondent football fans desperate for your NFL fix, set your calendars for Aug. 9. The NFL announced Wednesday that the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers will get the 2015 preseason started with the annual Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.

"We are tremendously excited about the opportunity to kick off the 2015 NFL preseason on a national stage," Vikings owner/president Mark Wilf said in a statement. "This trip will give our young team a chance to appreciate the many players and individuals who have made the game what it is today."

Since the turn of the century, the Hall of Fame Game has taken place on the first or second Sunday in August. The NFL's announcement is largely about settling the teams, each of which is agreeing to an extra preseason contest, and confirming a network agreement. NBC will televise the game yet again under its Sunday Night Football umbrella at 8 p.m. ET.

The Steelers will be opening their preseason a day after one of their all-time greats, running back Jerome Bettis, gets inducted into Canton. Bettis, linebacker Junior Seau, defensive end Charles Haley, wide receiver Tim Brown and guard Will Shields were named the five modern-day 2015 inductees. Former Vikings center Mick Tingelhoff and contributors Bill Polian and Ron Wolf round out the eight men who will receive the honor in August.

Jordan Strauss/Associated Press

"This is a tremendous honor for our organization to be featured in the Hall of Fame Game," Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said in the statement. "It will give our players and coaches an extra week to prepare for the regular season and an additional opportunity for us to evaluate our roster. Pairing the game with Mick going into the Hall of Fame, it will be a special weekend for the Minnesota Vikings and our fans."

The NFL has typically placed teams with Hall of Fame inductees into the game itself. The Vikings are making their fourth overall appearance and first since 1997—the seventh-longest drought in football. They are 2-1 in the game, having won their last two contests.

The Steelers are making their record sixth appearance, their first since 2007. Pittsburgh had been in a five-way tie with the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints and Washington before Wednesday's announcement. It's 3-2 overall, including a win over New Orleans in its last appearance.

The Baltimore Ravens are the only team that has not played in a Hall of Fame Game.

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