The 2015 NFL season officially arrives on Sunday, August 9th, as the first game of the NFL preseason kicks off with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings going to battle in the 2015 Hall of Fame game. The starters won’t play all that much (if at all) and like all other preseason games, this means nothing, but this is still, real, live pro football we’re talking about. Why watch? Let’s discuss:
It’s Pro Football!
It’s the NFL and it’s back, folks. Do you really need more reason than that to get excited and tune in? Yes, the game doesn’t matter and the best players won’t stay in fur the duration, but the possibility of big hits, big plays and touchdowns finally exists again. The Steelers and Vikings might not be your favorite teams, but the juices will be flowing and nothing replaces that feeling of a pro football game being on TV. You won’t want to miss it. In case you’re still unsure of whether you’re sold on this particular game, though, let’s dive into a few other reasons why you have to see it.
Adrian Peterson’s Return
It’s possible “All Day” doesn’t even suit up for his first preseason game, as he’s the Vikes’ star rusher and best overall player. At 30 years old, Minny may not want to risk their best player in his first contact in over a year. Then again, they also may want to get him in there to shake off some rust. He was suspended all last season, after all, and could use a warm up game. If it happens this Sunday, you probably won’t want to miss it.
Position Battles
There is lots to see here, folks. Lots to see! The biggest one might be in Minnesota, where third year wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson is still trying to find his role in the offense. He’s for now buried behind the likes of Mike Wallace and Charles Johnson, but it’s possible he could still ascend over one of them. He’ll at least compete with Jairus Wright, while any of these guys could be good for an explosive play or two on Sunday. Minnesota still has some things to figure out on defense, where Chad Greenway seems to be regressing and their cornerback situation isn’t quite decided yet. The same goes for the Steelers, who aren’t yet set at corner, themselves, and also need to see who they can trust out of Jarvis Jones, Ryan Shazier and Bud Dupree.
All of the Big Plays
We touched on it briefly, but this is a game that could yield a ton of big plays – and it’s the first NFL game of the preseason! Norv Turner’s vertical offense in Minnesota could go deep several times, as Teddy Bridgewater and co. try to work on their down field chemistry. All of the aforementioned Vikings receivers have big play potential, while both Adrian Peterson and backup Jerick McKinnon are home run threats out of Minnesota’s backfield. The story is much the same for the Steelers, as Ben Roethlisberger loves going deep and wideouts Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton, Martavis Bryant and even rookie Sammie Coates all have the wheels to spring huge plays over the top of the defense. Add in versatile offensive weapons Dri Archer, and this could very well be the most explosive preseason game of week one.
Got another great reason to tune into the first NFL preseason game of the year? Tell us in the comments below!
