Pro Football Hall of Fame Game 2015: Vikings vs. Steelers Time and TV Schedule

Football Sundays are back, beginning with the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, a showdown between the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Any football is good football in the minds of fans, but this matchup in particular is as good a pick as any for the showcase—both teams appear on the upswing and hungry for a playoff push this year after solid offseasons.

The Vikings and sophomore quarterback Teddy Bridgewater are one of the hottest surprise picks this year, while it's never wise to underestimate Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers, especially after making their first playoff appearance in three seasons.

Below, let's take a look at the exhibition's top talking points and how to catch the action.

Building on a Foundation

Last year, the Vikings went in with a rookie quarterback and head coach and secured seven wins.

It's not the most attractive narrative in the world, but the only way to go is up. Second-year coach Mike Zimmer identified weaknesses on both sides of the football and pulled the trigger on changes.

For example, the team drafted wideout Stefon Diggs and landed Mike Wallace to help Bridgewater. As a rookie, the Louisville product completed 64.4 percent of his passes with 14 scores to 12 picks. Having new weapons and Adrian Peterson back will only help.

Ditto for the defense. One only has to look at last year's promising numbers to see a strong foundation. Sprinkle in first-round corner Trae Waynes and second-round linebacker Eric Kendricks, and it's clear Zimmer continues to outfit his franchise for years of war against Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Folks won't see Zimmer's starters much Sunday, but a fifth preseason game gives the young guys, such as Diggs and Waynes, extra playing time. It will come against a pretty stacked offense too.

Continuing the Climb

It's almost easy to forget the Steelers won the AFC North last year and posted 11 wins.

The trend toward offense for a defensive-minded franchise helped, as Roethlisberger completed 67.1 percent of his passes with a 32-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Le'Veon Bell ran for 1,361 yards and eight scores behind him.

With the offense set, the team focused on defense by selecting linebacker Bud Dupree in the first round and corner Senquez Golson in the second. The team also went out and traded for corner Brandon Boykin, per the Philadelphia Eagles on Twitter, and the new addition sounds ready to contribute:

Getting back to their defensive roots won't hurt the Steelers, although it figures to be all about the offense Sunday.

Even the depth at wideout could find playing time with other teams. Behind Antonio Brown and Markus Wheaton rests a hodgepodge of quality options such as Darrius Heyward-Bey and rookies Sammie Coates and Devin Gardner. 

In other words, it makes for a quality exhibition matchup against a defensive-minded team. 

When: Sunday, Aug. 9, at 8 p.m. ET

Where: Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, Canton, Ohio

Watch: NBC

Betting Info: (via Odds Shark)

• Over/Under: 35
• Spread: Minnesota (-3)

Prediction 

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

The most important thing about Sunday's contest isn't who wins and who loses. Health, roster battles and younger players' performances will rule the day, but it doesn't hurt to look.

Depth wins the day in the preseason, and on paper the Steelers seem to have more. Even in the quarterback spot, Pittsburgh seems to hold an advantage thanks to the presence of Bruce Gradkowski, who will get to use the strong wideout depth to his advantage against backups.

This is the right contest at the right time for the NFL given the status of both franchises and the impressive draft classes, but the Steelers tout the experience and depth in key areas to pull this one out on the scoreboard.

Prediction: Steelers 20, Vikings 14

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of Aug. 6. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.