5 Takeaways from the Hall Of Fame Game
By Rory Daniels
The NFL’s 2024 season kicked off in Canton on Thursday evening and despite the big names being missing, it felt good to have football back. While difficult to have too many overarching takeaways from watching backups battle for roster spots, it’s worth keeping an eye on who made a splash, figuratively of course, even though the game suffered rain delays!
Rypien rips it up!
Brett Rypien finds Collin Johnson for SIX.
— NFL (@NFL) August 2, 2024
The @ChicagoBears are on the board!
📺: @ProFootballHOF Game on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/al5is67yt2
The undoubted star of the evening was Bears’ backup quarterback Brett Rypien. Tyson Bagent is the current backup, but Rypien is likely to push him hard on this showing. He entered the fray with no fear, attacking the middle of the field at will. He showed the necessary zip to hit receivers in stride and wasn’t scared to air it out.
He was aided by the 6’6 frame of Collin Johnson who quickly became his go-to target. Johnson has failed to make an impression at previous stops with the Jaguars and Giants but bullied the corners on his way to 56 receiving yards and two touchdowns. As Joe Buck mentioned on commentary Rypien and Johnson will be two players to watch as the Bears star on Hard Knocks this month.
New kickoff has understated introduction
The long-awaited first kickoff was an unspectacular return by Steven Sims to the 26-yard line, and throughout the game, the new kickoff rules went relatively under the radar. That is a positive. When a major change like that is introduced, the last thing you want is for controversy to follow.
Of course, we saw some teething issues, the Bears called for a false start on a kickoff and some intrigue when both teams tried out the process of having a holder on the play. Apart from some titterings of excitement in the booth as they monitored the speed at which the holder could get off the pitch, the kickoff failed to move the needle either way.
Bears running back depth is strong
Both teams leaned heavily on their running backs, and the Bears appear to have plenty of depth at the position. That may be just as well considering the injury history of expected starter D’Andre Swift. Roschon Johnson got the first tilt and showed power and shiftiness to make decent gains.
Khalil Herbert, the more scat-back-style runner, got his chance in the second quarter, ripping off back-to-back runs of 19 yards and 9 yards on a drive that ultimately ended in a touchdown. That mix of power from Johnson and speed from Herbert gives the room a really good balance and should allow Swift to not be burdened with too heavy a workload.
Akers return to action brings intrigue to Texans backfield
It was great to see running back Cam Akers get some playing time. Having suffered multiple Achilles injuries, there was a question mark over whether Akers would regain the explosiveness he had as an LA Ram. In 2022, he had 786 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns, showing how effective he can be when healthy.
Akers was introduced on the 3rd Texans drive of the game but it was the 4th drive he made his own. First, he had a nice catch followed by a significant gain on the ground, including this fantastic spin move.
Cam Akers hit the spin button 🎮
— NFL (@NFL) August 2, 2024
📺: @ProFootballHOF Game on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/l9Aod85gwO
Then he capped the drive with a catch in the redzone for a touchdown. It was a nice way to end the drive and while it’s unlikely Akers has a mega-season, stuck behind Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce on the depth chart, he is a player to keep an eye on.
Defensive bright spots for both
Until the game inevitably petered out approaching the end of the third quarter, both teams’ offensive displays had been fairly free-flowing. Both defenses failed to make any major plays or significant takeaways, but there were some flashes from young players, particularly in the secondary.
For the Bears, Elijah Hicks had a solid showing at safety. He started six games last year and showed his physicality, stopping a run for no gain and then acting quickly to restrict Xavier Hutchinson from getting any yards after the catch. Undrafted cornerback Leon Jones out of Arkansas State was another guy who had a couple of eye-catching plays as he battles the odds to make the 53 this year.
On the opposite side, as predicted, Calen Bullock made an impact play, forcing a fumble on a big hit in the middle of the field. The Texans couldn’t snaffle the ball, having dispossessed Tommy Sweeney, but it showed what Bullock has to offer.
