By Blessing 
Lions and Chargers Kick Off NFL Preseason with High Hopes and Unfinished Business
The Detroit Lions are back — and hungry.
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After a historic 15-win season that earned them the No. 1 seed in the NFC, Detroit’s playoff dreams were cut short. One and done. The sting of that early exit still lingers, but the Lions have turned the page and are set to begin their climb once again. The goal remains the same: bring home that elusive first Super Bowl title.
It all begins Thursday night under the lights in Canton, Ohio, where the Lions will face the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL’s annual Hall of Fame Game — the official kickoff to the 2025 preseason.
Los Angeles is also coming off a bitter end to last year. Their playoff hopes were dashed in a wild-card loss to Houston. But the Chargers enter this season with renewed energy under head coach Jim Harbaugh. The former Michigan man turned things around quickly in L.A., leading the team to a six-win improvement in his debut season.
Harbaugh isn’t new to turnarounds. He took the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl in just his second year back in 2012. Now, the big question in Chargers camp: Can he work that same magic again? L.A. hasn’t held a championship trophy since the 1963 AFL title — more than 60 years ago.
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Both teams come into this preseason opener with rosters full of promise and sky-high expectations. But as Lions head coach Dan Campbell reminded everyone, the road ahead won’t be easy.
“It’s a new season, it’s a new beginning,” Campbell said as he embarks on his fifth year leading the Lions. “You understand what that road looks like and there’s going to be nothing easy about it. But I think it’s — every year you do this and you just realize, ‘Hey man, just get in.’ Win this division — that’s always going to be the goal.”
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Campbell emphasized the importance of staying focused on the process, building the right game plan, and preparing for the grind of another long season.
“You take your best unit, you put your best practice that you can together, find the guys that you’re going to use to try to go win that game and then let it ride,” he added. “There’s a price to be paid to get yourself back into the dance, back into the tournament, and that will never change. If we let that slide at all, then we’re going to be sitting here at home in January and that’s not what we want.”
Detroit fans hoping to see stars like Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, and Penei Sewell will have to wait. The starters won’t be suiting up against the Chargers. Instead, backup quarterbacks Hendon Hooker and Kyle Allen will get a chance to prove themselves in the battle for the No. 2 spot behind Goff.
On the other side, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert and other key veterans will also sit this one out. Trey Lance will get the start under center for Los Angeles. The 25-year-old former No. 3 overall pick is now on his third NFL team after previous stints with the 49ers and Cowboys.
“He’s had a heck of a camp,” Harbaugh said of Lance. “I just want to get Trey Lance game experience. With his career and then in college, he doesn’t have as much as most guys.”
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Behind Lance, rookie DJ Uiagalelei — an undrafted free agent signing — will get second-half snaps. Taylor Heinicke will serve as the emergency third option at quarterback.
The Chargers are expected to give playing time to some of their top rookies, including first-round running back Omarion Hampton and second-round wideout Tre Harris. However, Lions fans won’t see their top two draft picks just yet — defensive tackle Tyleik Williams and guard Tate Ratledge are not expected to play.
Thursday’s game will also mark a fresh chapter for Detroit’s coaching staff. Two new coordinators make their debut: John Morton as offensive coordinator and Kelvin Sheppard as defensive coordinator. Morton steps in after Ben Johnson took the head coaching job in Chicago, while Sheppard replaces Aaron Glenn, who left for a coaching position with the New York Jets.
“I’ve said this before, it hurts to lose two guys that, man, have been here from the beginning,” Campbell shared. “There’s a lot of communication that goes that’s not even said… A look, a nod, body demeanor says it all.”
He admitted that building that same chemistry with the new coordinators will take time, but he’s confident it’ll come.
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“We’ll get it, it’ll come. That’s what practice is about, that’s what preseason games early in the year [are for], all of that. We’ll be good.”
It’s not just another preseason game. It’s the first step toward redemption, revival, and maybe — finally — a championship run.