Why was 2024 NFL Hall of Fame game cancelled? Explaining Bears vs Texans' abrupt ending

The 2024 Hall of Fame Game is no more

Fans expecting Caleb Williams' professional debut set themselves up for disappointment on Thursday, as he did not show up in uniform as his Chicago Bears played the Houston Texans in Canton, Ohio. Tyson Bagent took the snaps in his stead, and he had a wondrous three passing touchdowns, two of them to Collin Johnson.

That was good enough to give the Bears a 21-17 lead at halftime, but it would also turn out to be the final score. Heavy rain started during the third quarter, and it was decided to end the game with 3:31 remaining after a brief deliberation:

This is not the first time the Hall of Fame Game has been rained out as it also happened in 1980 and 2003.

Recap of Hall of Fame Game between the Bears and Texans

With neither Caleb Williams nor CJ Stroud playing the Hall of Fame Game, it was up to backups Tyson Bagent and Davis Mills to give their teams a strong first impression ahead of the beginning of preseason proper next week.

The Texans opened the scoring with a 69-yard, 16-play drive that concluded with a touchdown to tight end Teagan Quitoriano, who caught a pass well outside a tackling range

The Bears’ first drive of the night ended in a punt after a holding penalty on fourth-and-1. Corliss Waitman sent it to the 11.

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Brett Rypien, uncle of Super Bowl XXVI Mark, found Collin Johnson 20 yards ahead for a touchdown. But Texans third-stringer Case Keenum, who had stepped in for Mills responded with a four-yarder to Cam Akers with just over a minute left before halftime.

With 44 seconds left in the first half, Rypien found tight end Tommy Sweeney for a 22-yard score. And early in the third quarter, he came full circle, scoring Johnson again, this time from nine yards for his team’s first (and ultimately only) lead.

The Bears and Texans will officially begin their respective preseasons at the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively