Preseason Game 1: Vikings vs. Steelers

The teams get an extra preseason game, playing in the Hall of Fame Game because former Viking Mick Tingelhoff and former Steeler Jerome Bettis are among the inductees. … The Vikings were 7-9 in Mike Zimmer's first season but are an early pick to improve because Teddy Bridgewater is in his second season and Adrian Peterson returns after missing 15 games. … Peterson is unlikely to play, and Zimmer did not say which starters he would hold out or how long his first teams would play. … New Vikings WR Mike Wallace played for Pittsburgh from 2009-12, making the Pro Bowl and winning a Super Bowl. … The Vikings won all four preseason games in 2014. They have 19 returning starters, losing G Charlie Johnson, LB Jasper Brinkley and FB Jerome Felton. … Injured and not expected to play are LB Anthony Barr, WR Gavin Lutman, FB Zach Line, C Joe Berger, G David Yankey, and DEs B.J. Dubose and Scott Crichton.

Backup QB Landry Jones will start as Pittsburgh will sit out several of its key players, including QB Ben Roethlisberger, RB Le'Veon Bell, WR Antonio Brown, TE Heath Miller, C Maurkice Pouncey and LB James Harrison. … Pittsburgh is coming off an 11-5 season as Roethlisberger passed for a career-high 4,952 yards and 32 touchdowns. Brown led the league with 129 receptions [second most in NFL history] for 1,698 yards and 13 TDs, all team records. … The Steelers are rebuilding on defense, however, under new coordinator Keith Butler after the retirement of 12-year veteran S Troy Polamalu. … Pittsburgh lost to Baltimore in the wild-card round of the AFC playoffs. … Coach Mike Tomlin was the Vikings defensive coordinator in 2006 before getting the Steelers job. … TE Matt Spaeth is a former Gopher.