2025 NFL Hall of Fame Game Takeaways
Welcome back to NFL football! We eagerly awaited the annual Hall of Fame Game, which featured the Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions. It has been too long without football, and even though this tilt rarely includes much playing time for starters (if any), we had fun just getting back to the game. For once, we had no weather-related issues and could simply play football! Unfortunately, the game wasn’t particularly competitive, with the result being a 34-7 Chargers stomping. We still learned quite a bit though. Tune in for the induction ceremony tomorrow, but for today, enjoy our Hall of Fame Game takeaways!
Sloppy Lions Knock Themselves Out of the Game
Fortunately for Detroit, zero starters suited up for this game. That said, if anyone gets hurt this year, the Lions won’t have a ton of trust in their reserves based on this contest. On the opening kickoff, returner Grant Stuard fumbled the ball and set the Chargers up in great field position. That would be the first of many miscues by Detroit. QB Kyle Allen (9/14, 91 yards), given the first crack at the backup job, threw two INTs. One was a terribly telegraphed late throw on an out route, and the other was an end zone shot that shouldn’t have been thrown. His competition, Hendon Hooker (3/6, 18 yards, INT), fared just as poorly.
It wasn’t just the QBs. Rookie WR Dominic Lovett (5/31) dropped a drive-extending pass that Allen put on the money. After all the talk of Georgia receivers dropping passes last year, that wasn’t a good way for Lovett to start. Fellow rookie WR Jakobie Keeney-James muffed a punt, giving the Chargers an instant first-and-goal opportunity. The mistakes went on and on, and I can’t help wondering if it’s related to the fact that Detroit has two new coordinators. John Morton and Kelvin Sheppard are tasked with replacing Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, respectively, so hopefully these are mere growing pains that’ll be ironed out soon.
Former #3 Overall Pick Trey Lance Looks Much Improved
We got word before the game that Trey Lance, the QB that the 49ers traded up to acquire in 2021, would start the game for LA. Although his playing in this game signals that Taylor Heinicke has a solid hold on the QB2 position, it was still a chance to see if the former top draft pick developed since we last saw him. With the usual caveat about not drawing too many conclusions from games against third-stringers, I still liked what I witnessed. Lance (13/20, 120 yards, 2 TDs) looked so much more composed in the pocket than before. Instead of bailing and running or firing into double coverage, he actually went through his progressions.
Lance always had the physical talent. That was evident on a beautiful drop in the bucket on a sideline fade, as well as his movement. As a raw short-term starter from FCS school North Dakota State though, he needed significant development time. San Francisco never gave that to him, but perhaps the Chargers will. Teams want QBs that can “make every throw”, and Lance certainly can. Operating within an offense and processing coverages have been his weaknesses. People forget that he’s still just 25 years old. If LAC allows him to quietly learn and grow, they might have an interesting asset on their hands.
Chargers’ Plan of Attack This Season is Clear
The hallmarks of any Jim Harbaugh-coached team are a good running game, a dominant offensive line, and few mistakes. Those things are already coming into focus. Harbaugh remade his RB room, replacing JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards with Najee Harris and rookie first-rounder Omarion Hampton. The Bolts ran 35 times in this game for 121 yards and 2 TDs, led by Kimani Vidal (9/37/2). LA’s offensive line held up well in both the ground game and pass protection. Again, they didn’t face the stiffest competition, but the Chargers showed how they intend to go at opposing teams. So far, so good.
Paired with this running game was a suffocating defense. That starts in the secondary, where the corners provide sticky coverage. This is an important fact, as the pass rush is lacking. Among starters, an aging Khalil Mack and a decent Tuli Tuipulotu are the only threats opposing QBs face. It’ll be up to the DBs to make this defense go. A ball-control offense only works if you can limit the other team’s scoring. The Chargers are built to be a team that grinds down the opposition. LA’s back seven will be instrumental in that effort, and their depth players showed that off in this exhibition game.
New Kickoff and Measurement Rules Appear Seamless
When the NFL makes rule changes, they are often the focus of the media and fans. Usually, that’s because the rules are causing controversy due to some flaw. This time, our two notable rule adjustments were mentioned once each by the NBC crew for explanation purposes but not thereafter. First, Sony’s Hawk-Eye tech was used to virtually measure whether a runner made the line to gain. It wasn’t quite as fast as the tennis version of Hawk-Eye, but it was smooth and accurate. I don’t think the Chain Gang is being replaced any time soon, but this was a promising start. If only it could spot the ball as well…
The other rule had much more fanfare. Touchbacks on kickoffs now go to the 35 yard line instead of the 30. The goal is to encourage more returns, and it seemed to be effective. We had 7 in this game. Detroit only scored one time, so that kept kickoffs down on their end. One kickoff landed short of the target zone, bringing the ball to the 40. Otherwise, the field position was similar to last year’s, albeit with a one-game sample size. Hopefully more returns don’t result in more injuries. That feels like the only downside to this new format, so we’ll keep watching for the data to make sure the safety aspect is accounted for.
Rookie Watch
Each week of the preseason, I’m going to try to highlight a few rookies that stood out. With only one game on the schedule this week, we had limited options, but both teams had some standouts. For Detroit, only a couple of rookies had an impact. WR Dominic Lovett atoned for his dropped pass with 31 receiving yards and a smooth 19-yard punt return. He supposedly did very well in camp, so finishing on a high note in this game was nice. Another rookie WR, 3rd-rounder Isaac TeSlaa, led both teams with 46 yards receiving. His ability to get open popped off the screen, and his athleticism could make him a weapon.
Unfortunately, I can’t say much more about Lions rookies. LA, on the other hand, had a few of note. Fifth-round receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith (2/43/1) made a couple of explosive plays, including a second-quarter TD. First-round RB Omarion Hampton (2/9) played very sparingly, but his size and power were on display. Two undrafted rookie CBs, Nikko Reed and Myles Purchase, earned INTs against the Lions. Their performance was reminiscent of last year’s unheralded rookie corners (Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still), demonstrating how well this coaching staff develops DBs. These low-cost players should provide excellent depth.