The NFL has pulled the plug on the annual Hall of Fame game in early August, but fans shouldn't be discouraged quite yet.

ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that the NFL has canceled the annual Hall of Fame Game between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers that was scheduled for August 6, 2020. The Hall of Fame ceremony that coincides with the event has also been postponed back one year.

This is the third time since 2011 that the NFL Hall of Fame Game has been called off. It was canceled in 2011 due to the league lockout, in 2016 because of bad field conditions, and now in 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

While the news of this puts an initial damper on the excitement of the NFL season, fans shouldn't freak out at this point. Schefter reported on his podcast that the NFL is planning on playing its full season starting this September and that the league is taking extraordinary measures to make sure that happens. Pat McAfee discussed Schefter's report recently on his show.

The Hall of Fame Game being canceled isn't a game that NFL fans will lose sleep over.  The next few months will dictate how the season will go. It would be amazing to see the NFL keep on schedule, but with rising Coronavirus cases across the U.S., more cancellations could become inevitable. Sitting here at the end of June, it seems impossible for NFL games to begin with fans in the stadiums at full capacity. We'll see how the league continues to monitor and address the situation moving forward.

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