Has a team that played in the Hall of Fame Game ever won a Super Bowl in the same year?

It’s the moment NFL fans have been feverishly waiting for since the Kansas City Chiefs took down the San Francisco 49ers back in February. After nearly six months, football is back as the Houston Texans and the Chicago Bears kick off the preseason in the Hall of Fame Game from Canto, Ohio.

The Canton Curse

Unfortunately for the Texans and the Bears, they will be battling history from the very first snap of the ball tonight from Tom Benson Stadium. While neither team will be all too concerned with historical stats, it’s worth noting that no team that has ever played in the Hall of Fame Game has gone on to win the Super Bowl.

The commencement game to the NFL preseason has actually been around longer than the Super Bowl. The first Hall of Fame Gama was played on August 11, 1962 when the New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals played to a 21-21 tie four years before Super Bowl I in January of 1967. Since Super Bowl I, it has been a rough go for teams that are chosen to feature in the spotlight game from Canton.

Only three teams out of the 116 teams that have played in the Hall of Fame Game have gone one to play on Super Bowl Sunday. Of those teams, none of them have finished the season hoisting the Lomardi Trophy. The first team to reach the Super Bowl after kicking off the preseason was Boomer Esiason’s Cincinnati Bengals in the 1988 season. They would end up losing to San Francisco 20-16. Next came the San Diego Chargers in 1994. They got lit up by the Niners in the Super Bowl, losing 49-26. Finally, the St. Louis Rams took their “Greatest Show of Turf” from the Hall of Fame Game to Super Bowl Sunday, but lost to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots on a last second Adam Vinateri field goal.

Season preview

Neither DeMeco Ryans, nor Matt Eberflus will be chalking up the season as a wash just because their teams have to play in this game, but the Texans are more likely to break the Hall of Fame Game curse considering the course of recent history with the two franchises. The Bears have been desperately trying to return to relevance over the last decade and a half, while the Texans might be in the most promising era of their short history.

Last year the Texans revolution was led by a first year coach and a rookie quarterback and the future in Houston looking brighter than ever. The Texans exploded on to the scene, and turned team that went 3-13-1 two years ago into a playoff team that was a game away from the AFC Championship. DeMeco Ryans brought his patented hard nose, no nonsense attitude to the defense in his first year as head coach while C.J. Stroud had the best rookie year of any quarterback we have ever seen. Now the Texans return with more experience, and more weapons around Stroud.

The Bears on the other hand, are going to have it a little tougher. They finished the season strong, winning four of their last six games but parted ways with QB Justin Fields to draft Caleb Williams with the top overall pick they got from Carolina. While the Bears will be hoping that Williams can do his best CJ Stroud imitation, it’s not going to be easy on a team that has disappointed the Windy City for much too long.