Chargers charge through sloppy Lions 34-7 in Hall of Fame Game

By Barry Wilner
Special to the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Two likely contenders to be playing football in February opened the NFL preseason on a cool night to finish off July as the Los Angeles Chargers routed the Detroit Lions 34-7 in Thursday night’s Pro Football Hall of Fame Game.

Clearly, only one had a fun time.

Both teams made the playoffs in 2024. Coincidentally, each team experienced high-level success in its most recent visit to Canton. The Chargers made their only Super Bowl appearance in the 1994 season, a year they began with a preseason loss to Atlanta. The Lions were last here when they downed Denver in 1991, and later lost the NFC Championship contest at Washington.

While both clubs sat out most of their regulars as the NFL returned to the field, the Chargers were efficient and opportunistic. Third-string quarterback Trey Lance, with perhaps a final chance to establish himself in the League, sparked the attack and threw for two scores. 

“Big night for Trey,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Just played calm, cool, collected, ran the operation. Threw the ball really well.”

In front of an enthusiastic crowd dominated by Lions fans – Honolulu blue was the operative color at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium – the NFC power struggled, even in the midst of a strong Motor City flavor permeating the atmosphere.

Those fans didn’t have much to celebrate, with their cheers for former Chargers tight end ANTONIO GATES, who is from Detroit, a rare highlight. 

Gates, defensive end/sack master JARED ALLEN, cornerback ERIC ALLEN and wide receiver STERLING SHARPE will be enshrined into the Hall on Saturday. They were joined on the field for the coin toss by Hall of Famers BARRY SANDERS, KELLEN WINSLOW, CALVIN JOHNSON, DAN FOUTS, RON MIX and CHARLIE JOINER.

The Class of 2025 quartet was introduced before kickoff, walking along the 50-yard line while both sets of players stood along each 45.

Before kickoff, a moment of silence was held in remembrance of the four victims of a shooting this week inside a New York office building that houses the NFL headquarters. The League said in a release, “We honor the four innocent lives lost, including NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, whose heroism will never be forgotten. Our thoughts are with the survivors as they begin the difficult journey of physical and emotional recovery. The NFL family is resilient and united, and together, we will find strength in one another as we heal.”

Detroit unveiled two new coordinators under Coach Dan Campbell: John Morton on offense in place of Ben Johnson, now the head man in Chicago; and Kelvin Sheppard, replacing Aaron Glenn to lead the defense. Glenn was hired as head coach of the New York Jets.

Things didn’t start well for the Lions, the top seed in the NFC last season. Grant Stuard fumbled the opening kickoff return and Los Angeles, a wild-card in the AFC in 2024, recovered at the Detroit 28. Lance hit veteran tight end Will Dissly for a 5-yard score on a fourth-and-1.

Soon after, thanks to a 60-yard interception return by Nikko Reed, the Chargers went up 14-0 on Kimani Vidal’s bruising 2-yard run. Reed, a rookie from Oregon, was an early star, and Vidal added another late 2-yard TD.

“Defense picking up where they left off, picking up seven points, and to hold the Lions under 100 yards rushing, that was a great accomplishment for us,” Harbaugh noted. “Good start. We’ll go back and keep building.”

Lions second-round draft pick wideout Isaac TeSlaa, showed speed and elusiveness on consecutive receptions of 24 and 22 yards.

Isn’t that what the Hall of Fame Game is all about? Coaches use the extra preseason game for a deep look at newcomers seeking to make the roster.

“It's the first one out of the gate,” Campbell said. “We turned it over five times and had zero takeaways. That’s hard. Can’t put the defense in that kind of a position. It’s hard to get a rhythm when you turn the ball over.”

So what's the message?

“Learning from it, grow from it. That's what it's all about.”

What the Lions are all about under Campbell is the gamble, at least on fourth downs. Twice, with veteran Kyle Allen at quarterback, Detroit converted on a 15-play drive leading to Craig Reynolds’ 2-yard scoring dive in the second quarter, making it 14-7.

But Los Angeles immediately responded with its own 15-play march that rookie KeAndre Lambert-Smith, a training camp standout, capped with a 15-yard TD reception on a slant route. Harbaugh’s physical Chargers led 21-7 at halftime.

Detroit’s sloppiness was damaging again the first time it touched the ball in the second half. Jakobie Keeney-James muffed a punt at his 5, setting up Cameron Dicker’s 23-yard field goal. Dicker added a 27-yarder later in the third quarter.

The Chargers looked more prepared, didn’t turn over the ball and had five takeaways. Campbell’s take away from a rough night wasn’t disturbing, but it wasn’t pleasing.

“We have our own standards,” he said. “Look, we’ve got to take care of the football or it’s going to be hard to keep (guys) around. We’ve got to apply a little pressure – in a good way.”

Associated Press reporter Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.