NFL Hall of Fame Game: Trey Lance leads Chargers to win over Lions in strong showing

The NFL preseason kicked off a little early, as the Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions faced off in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, on Thursday. The Chargers picked up an easy 34-7 win behind a stellar performance from backup quarterback Trey Lance.

Lance, a former third-overall pick who has spent most of his career as an unlikely backup, more than proved himself as a play-caller in Thursday’s win. The 25-year-old quarterback played the first three quarters of the game, going 13-of-20 for two touchdowns and 120 yards.

The game began with a tribute to the four members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025: tight end Antonio Gates, defensive end Jared Allen, cornerback Eric Allen, and receiver Sterling Sharpe. Gates, as a player who spent his entire career with the Chargers, received the biggest cheer from the crowd.

After that, the stadium held a moment of silence for this week’s attack on the NFL’s headquarters in New York. Four people, including an off-duty police officer, were killed in the shooting.

Then, it went to the game, where Los Angeles got off to a scorching start. The very first play was a Chargers kickoff-turned-Lions fumble, giving Los Angeles a huge early chance. Though Detroit’s defense forced a fourth down, Lance connected with Will Dissly to give the team a 7-0 lead.

Chargers cornerback Nikko Reed, an undrafted rookie out of Oregon, also showed his talents early on with an interception of Detroit reserve quarterback Kyle Allen in the first quarter. Reed ran the ball back for 60 yards, getting L.A. into the red zone for Kimani Vidal to run in for the team’s second touchdown.

Allen was picked off again, by Tony Jefferson, before the end of the first quarter. The eighth-year backup ended 9-of 14 for 91 yards in the loss.

Detroit finally broke through in the second quarter, with a drive that ended with running back Craig Reynolds barreling his way into the end zone. But Lance was able to throw another touchdown, this time to rookie KeAndre Lambert-Smith, before the end of the half.

After halftime, L.A. kept things going on offense, with head coach Jim Harbaugh opting to keep the red-hot Lance in for a bit longer. Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker, who missed his first field goal attempt, made his second and third to give L.A a 27-7 lead in the third quarter.

Lions rookie Hendon Hooker replaced Allen in the second half of the game, going three-of-six for 18 yards. Rookie DJ Uiagalelei eventually stepped in for Lance in the fourth quarter, and completed two of three pass attempts for 25 yards.

With the fourth quarter underway, Vidal ran in for another touchdown to bring the Chargers’ score to 34-7.

Then, Los Angeles rookie cornerback Myles Purchase had a great interception, picking off Hooker to force the Lions’ fifth turnover and finish off the game.

Fundamentally, this game doesn’t have any meaning for the regular season, even with Detroit’s tough loss in Canton. Preseason games are a chance to test thing out, without worrying about the final score; even the NFL was trying new things, introducing the league’s new virtual measurement system on a (relatively obvious) first down in the second quarter.

But it was a great showing for Lance, who was able to show flashes of the brilliance that led to him being a top-three pick in the first place. Justin Herbert is firmly the starter heading into the season, something that is unlikely to change during preseason play. But, in the event that Herbert ends up out with an injury (which he has before), Lance has proven that he would not only be a reliable backup, but a potentially franchise-saving one.

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NFL Hall of Fame Game: Trey Lance leads Chargers to win over Lions in strong showing

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