CANTON, Ohio — With Caleb Williams, CJ Stroud and other stars from both teams watching from the sidelines, the NFL’s new kickoff brought no excitement.
Brett Rypien stole the show, but lightning and heavy rain brought the game to an early end.
The veteran quarterback threw three touchdown passes to lead the Chicago Bears to a 21-17 victory over the Houston Texans in the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday night.
The NFL’s exhibition opener was halted with 3:31 left in the third quarter and then called off after a 36-minute delay.
Initially, much of the attention was focused on the NFL’s innovative new kickoff rules.
The league has dramatically redesigned the play in an effort to revive it after record-low revenue last season.
Of the eight kickoffs, none were returned further than 32 yards. Three were returned as far as 26 yards, one yard further than a traditional touchback.
There was one touchback at the 30-yard mark.
“You never know until you go out there and play,” said Bears wide receiver Collin Johnson, who made a tackle on the opening kickoff. “The speed and timing is dramatically different. It’s a lot faster.”
Tyson Bagent started in place of Williams, Chicago’s highly-anticipated No. 1 overall pick, and Davis Mills played center in place of Stroud, the 2023 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Rypien completed 11 of 15 passes for 166 yards, including TD passes of 20 and 9 yards to Johnson and a 22-yard TD pass to Tommy Sweeney.
Rypien, who was 2-2 as a starter over four seasons with the Broncos and Rams, entered camp as the third quarterback.
“This game meant a lot to me,” Rypien said. “I’d been feeling bad all offseason since my last start (Nov. 5 of last year) in Green Bay. I didn’t know what the season was going to be like and if I’d have a chance to play in anything.”
Mills, who was 5-19-1 as a starter in the two seasons before Stroud’s arrival, completed 10 of 13 passes for 102 yards and capped the opening drive with a 9-yard TD pass to Teagan Quitoriano.
Veteran Case Keenum threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Cam Akers to give the Texans a 17-7 lead late in the second half.
Rypien led the Bears on a 72-yard drive with just 58 seconds left in the first half, including a touchdown pass to Sweeney to put the Bears up 17-14. His 9-yard pass to Johnson put the Bears ahead in the third quarter.
“As a backup, you always have to be ready,” Rypien said, “You never know when that opportunity is going to come. Even when you don’t have as many practices, you’ve got to go out there and perform.”
Houston’s Steven Sims caught Cairo Santos’ opening kickoff at the 5-yard line and ran for 21 yards before being tackled at the 26. After the Texans scored, Chicago’s Tyler Scott caught Ka’Imi Fairbairn’s kickoff at the 7-yard line and returned it 19 yards to the 26.
A touchback will result in the offense starting at the 25.
Scott caught the third kickoff a yard outside the end zone and returned it rather than take a touchback, then was tackled at the 20-yard mark.
The Bears were penalized for leaving early (only the two returners and the kicker can move until the ball is caught), but the Texans refused.
“I think the kickoff team won,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. “Our coverage team did a good job. Our return team looked like they had a hard time maintaining their block.”
The Texans went from last in the AFC South to first last year thanks to the efforts of rookie coach DeMeco Ryans, Stroud and Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr. Houston won 11 games and advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs.
The Bears are hoping to make a similar leap from No. 7 to No. 10 to the playoffs after revamping their roster in free agency, selecting Williams with the No. 1 pick and acquiring wide receiver Rome Odunze with the ninth pick.
First Hall of Famer
On Saturday afternoon, many Bears and Texans fans came out to watch their two favorites put on the gold jackets.
Devin Hester, a dynamic playmaker who returned a league-record 14 punts for touchdowns and ran five kickoffs for scores during an 11-year career spent primarily in Chicago, will be the first pure returner to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Andre Johnson will be the first Texans to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Hester and Johnson received the loudest applause when the Class of 2024 recruits were introduced before the game.
Popular Bears player Steve McMichael was unable to attend the Hall of Fame ceremony due to his ongoing ALS, but his wife, Misty, attended in his place.
