Hall of Fame Game Draws Huge Audience As Fans Brace for Full Return of Football

The 2025 Hall of Fame Game kicked off the NFL preseason late last week, and it drew quite the audience.

The 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game drew in nearly seven million viewers. / Kevin Whitlock / Massillon Independent / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Chargers defeated the Detroit Lions 34-7 last Thursday night in the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Game that kicked off Hall of Fame weekend in Canton, as well as the 2025 NFL preseason.

As usual, the contest featured mostly second and third-string players from both sides, as the regular season starters sat and watched the contest to avoid injury early in the preseason.

Despite the game being played by depth and fringe active roster players, the contest still managed to draw its biggest television number since 2021. According to a report from Austin Karp of Sports Business Daily, the game drew an average of 6.9 million viewers for the telecast, which was the biggest audience since the 2021 Hall of Fame Game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys, which drew an average of 7.31 million viewers.

In addition, out of the average of 6.9 million viewers, 691,000 streamed the game on Peacock and NBC Digital. It's the largest ever streaming of a preseason game on NBC.

The regular season is just around the corner, and there's plenty of preseason action left to come. But one thing's clear, fans are clamoring for the fall and the return of the NFL.

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