The first NFL game of the 2024 season is history. To kick off the preseason, the Chicago Bears defeated the Houston Texans in the Hall of Fame Game. However, the game was abandoned after just over 40 minutes

The 2024 NFL season has started. To kick off the preseason, the Houston Texans and the Chicago Bears faced each other in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton (Ohio) on Thursday night.

The Texans went ahead early, Davis Mills (102 yards, one touchdown) found tight end Teagan Quitoriano for a 9-yard touchdown. But the Bears, led by a strong Brett Rypien (166 passing yards, three touchdowns), fought back in the second quarter.

The veteran QB threw to wide receiver Collin Johnson (three catches, 57 yards) for a 20-yard touchdown in the end zone, Houston answered in the person of Cam Akers before Rypien found Tommy Sweeney for 22 yards in the end zone. As Houston had also been successful with a field goal beforehand, Chicago went into the locker room with a 14:17 lead.

Things then took a turn for the curious in the second half. First, Rypien found Johnson again for the fifth touchdown of the day before the game was stopped with 3:31 minutes left in the third quarter.

NFL – Hall of Fame Game between Bears and Texans canceled after about 35 minutes

Due to a thunderstorm and lightning, the referees initially decided to take a break, but after just over 30 minutes it was clear that the game would not continue.

“The NFL made the right decision given the lightning in the area, which was good to see,” said Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, who, like his counterpart DeMeco Ryan, rested his starters after the game.

The next game for both teams is in two weeks’ time. The Bears will face the Bengals on August 17 at 7 p.m., while the Texans will play the Giants at the same time.