2025 NFL preseason: Three things to watch for in Chargers-Lions Pro Football Hall of Fame Game
The NFL is officially back as the preseason kicks off with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Thursday night.
More than five long months have passed since the Philadelphia Eagles were crowned in Super Bowl LIX, but football-starved fans need wait no longer. On July 31, the Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions begin their respective journeys to a hopeful championship in earnest as the league gears up for the enshrinement of wide receiver Sterling Sharpe, tight end Antonio Gates, defensive end Jared Allen and defensive back Eric Allen into the hallowed halls of Canton.
The showdown marks the first time either team has taken part in the Hall of Fame Game since 1994, when the Chargers did so for just the second time. They went on to play in the Super Bowl that season. Detroit, meanwhile, makes its first appearance since 1991, a season that culminated in its first trip to the NFC Championship Game in the Super Bowl era.
Could another Canton tune-up again precede deep playoff runs for the 2025 versions of these teams? Both are certainly hoping so, and they have the rosters to make it happen. Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers are coming off an 11-win season that ended with a wild-card disaster, looking for redemption behind quarterback Justin Herbert and an ascendent defense, while Dan Campbell’s well-rounded Lions are similarly hungry after following up a 15-win season with a Divisional Round stumble.
Whatever the result Thursday night, L.A. and Detroit will still be a long way off from Super Bowl LX. Every story has a beginning, though, and theirs is set to take place at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Here are three things to watch for when the Chargers and Lions meet Thursday night:
- Extra opportunity to make statement. Los Angeles and Detroit are the only two NFL teams that will play four preseason games, which has a marginal effect overall but could prove massive for undrafted free agents and players on the bubble. Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter spoke Tuesday on the advantage an extra preseason game provides for end-of-roster guys, remarking it’s a great opportunity to reshuffle the pecking order and get noticed internally or by other clubs keeping watch. “I’m sure it’s the most watched preseason game even from that standpoint of everybody’s ready to look at football,” he said. “Then it’s film that’s out there in every team’s building.” It won’t be household names fighting it out for the majority of Thursday’s game, rather it will be Bolts players like 2025 seventh-round defensive back Trikweze Bridges and undrafted quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (who is slated to play most of the second half) trying to prove they belong, or 2024 seventh-round wide receiver Brenden Rice attempting to build on his three regular-season appearances last year. For the Lions, who kept undrafted wide receiver Isaiah Williams on last season’s original 53-man roster before eventually waiving him in November, they’ll have extra time to mine for another diamond in the rough — perhaps in the form of someone like UDFA WR Jackson Meeks, nephew of ex-Lions pass rusher Za’Darius Smith.
- First test for Detroit’s coordinators. Neither team is going to run anything schematically crazy on Thursday. Play calls will be vanilla for the most part, allowing offenses and defenses to get their feet wet, build chemistry and avoid tipping their hands too much during a game that doesn’t count in the official win-loss column. Regardless, Thursday marks a sizable milestone for new Lions offensive coordinator John Morton and defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard. Both men are getting their first shots at coordinating for Detroit following the departure of Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn for head-coaching positions. No one doubts the football mind of Dan Campbell, but he’s far more a motivator and culture guy than an X’s-and-O’s guru like the other three head coaches in his division — the Green Bay Packers’ Matt LaFleur, the Minnesota Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell and the Chicago Bears’ Johnson. How Morton, the Jets’ OC in 2017, and Sheppard transition into leading units that both ranked top 10 last season will be paramount to Detroit remaining one of the NFC teams to beat.
- It’s time to shine for Chargers’ offensive rookies. Jim Harbaugh said on July 27 that Justin Herbert’s biggest weakness is needing offensive teammates to “get up to his level.” Beyond giving employees everywhere a line to try at their next quarterly review, the Chargers went to work in April’s draft to add some players who could rectify that, and those individuals will get their chance to make a first impression as L.A. sits most of its veteran starters. Omarion Hampton, selected No. 22 overall, is an exciting, balanced runner who represents the future of L.A.’s backfield, but he could also carve out an even larger initial role by showing out in spots like the Hall of Fame Game while teammate Najee Harris continues to recover from his eye injury. Wide receiver Tre Harris, the No. 55 overall pick, will want to endear himself to fans, as well, especially after reporting to camp late due to a delayed contract negotiation. If fifth-round wideout KeAndre Lambert-Smith, a recipient of rave reviews thus far in camp, can likewise make some early inroads, the Chargers could come away feeling much more confident in a WR corps that currently appears short on both depth and experience.
