The 2026 NFL season is underway. Sort of.
The preseason kicked off in Canton, Ohio, on Thursday, Aug. 6, the Carolina Panthers defeating the Arizona Cardinals 33-30 in a thrilling (such as it is) Pro Football Hall of Fame Game. And while Carson Beck and others shined under a prime-time spotlight, this game will quickly fade into appropriate irrelevance – now something of an ornamental affair as the inaugural one of what’s now a 49-game docket of exhibition games.
And still, we usually tend to learn something from the HOF game, even if it’s little more than a first impression provided by a national platform in an otherwise forgettable undertaking – and, in this case, between two of the league’s lowest-profile teams. Nevertheless, we found some winners and losers from “Football Heaven,” to try and satisfy your first football jones of the summer: