Are you ready for some football? Rejoice NFL fans, the NFL returns tonight when the Dallas Cowboys take on the Arizona Cardinals at the annual Hall of Fame game from Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. While fans won’t see Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer toss a touchdown pass or Dallas’ Dak Prescott hand the ball to Ezekiel Elliott, the Hall of Fame Game always brings a smile to NFL fans’ faces just due to the fact that it is the first sign that meaningful games are just a few weekends away!

A possible NFC Championship preview?

Today’s game between the Cowboys and Cardinals may not mean a hill of beans in the grand scheme of things, but, could this matchup be a precursor to a possible NFC title game?

The Cowboys are the “sweetheart” pick by many NFL experts to represent the NFC in Super Bowl 52, and the Cardinals should be much better in 2017 than they were one season ago.

The pieces are all there for Dallas, but 2017 won’t be an easy one for second year stars Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. Yes, they both have the talent to be great players in the NFL for years to come, but defenses across the league will be better prepared now that they have had a chance to digest the Cowboys offense last season. If Prescott and Elliott are half as good as they were in their rookie season, Dallas will be a force in the NFC in 2017.

Arizona finished 7-8-1 in 2016, and they were much better than their record indicated.

If several key players can remain healthy in 2017, including veteran quarterback Carson Palmer, the Cardinals will once again be in the postseason hunt. Last year the Cardinals started the season 1-3, something they do not want to repeat in 2017.

Arizona head coach Bruce Arians has already gone on record saying that no starters on either side of the ball will participate in tonight’s action.

Blaine Gabbert will start for the Cardinals this evening and waiting in the wings will be rookie quarterback Trevor Knight out of Texas A&M. Knight will likely get the most reps of either Arizona quarterback tonight.

How to watch Cowboys vs Cardinals live

Even though the HOF game is just the beginning of the preseason schedule, fans are still excited to see an actual NFL game, meaningless or not!

Fans can watch every snap of this evening's game between the Cowboys and Cardinals nationally on NBC. The game will also be streaming live through NBC Sports.com and NFL game pass. Kickoff for tonight’s game will be just after 8 p.m. ET.

Las Vegas odds makers have listed the Dallas Cowboys as a 1 point favorite, with the over/under point total set at 35.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED