The Hall of Fame Game between the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers ended up being. According to Michael Florio of Pro Football Talk, the game drew in 6.99 million viewers, the most since 2021.
For an NBC Hall of Fame Game broadcast, it was the most since 2017. That game also featured the Cardinals, who played the Dallas Cowboys. That game was in celebration of Kurt Warner’s Hall of Fame induction.
The 2026 Hall of Fame Game celebrated Warner’s partner in crime, Larry Fitzgerald’s induction. The opponent was also somewhat fitting, as the Panthers were one of three teams Arizona beat to reach Super Bowl XLIII.
Cardinals Hall of Fame Game Draws Largest Viewership in Five Years
GettyCarson Beck’s strong play likely contributed to the best Hall of Fame Game viewership in five years. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
The Cardinals and Panthers naturally aren’t the biggest draws in the league. Both teams had losing records in 2025, although the Panthers ended up winning the NFC South via tiebreaker.
What helped the game was the amount of competitiveness and relatively clean play between the two teams throughout. Preseason games, especially early in August, can get very sluggish due to penalties and poor play.
The game had a more compelling flow, almost to the level of a regular-season game. It also helped that neither team led by more than seven points at any stage of the game, meaning every drive had some meaning relative to the scoreboard.
The game also saw the NFL preseason debut of quarterback Carson Beck. Beck’s performance in the game was the leading storyline, as the third-round rookie played like a seasoned veteran in his first NFL action.
The rookie’s performance drew rave reviews. Head coach Mike LaFleur praised how Beck executed every play. Kurt Warner saw a quarterback who was in “full control” of the offense. One analyst believes Beck will force his way into the starting conversation “sooner rather than later.”
The broadcast also featured a relatively unscripted moment, in which a mic’d-up LaFleur got a surprise phone call from an unlikely source before the game.
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