Chargers, Lions to kick off NFL preseason in Hall of Fame game
The Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions will kick of the preseason in the NFL's annual Hall of Fame game.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the matchup Wednesday. The game will take place in Canton, Ohio, on July 31. It will be a Thursday night game, two days before the Pro Football Hall of Fame's induction ceremony for the Class of 2025.
Four players, including one Chargers great, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame that Saturday. Former Chargers tight end Antonio Gates will join cornerback Eric Allen, defensive end Jared Allen and wide receiver Sterling Sharpe in the four-person class.
The game will showcase a pair of playoff teams from 2024, though it's unlikely any of the prominent playoff performers will see action in Canton. The game will be the first on the preseason schedule and projects to feature backups and players competing to make the 53-man roster.
At this stage of the offseason, both teams project to enter the season as playoff contenders again. The Lions are fresh off an NFC North title and the best record in the NFC. Their postseason ended in disappointment in a divisional round loss at home to the Washington Commanders.
The Chargers made the playoffs as a wild-card team after a second-place finish in the AFC West under first-year coach Jim Harbaugh. They lost in the wild-card round to the Houston Texans.
The appearance in the game is the first for the Lions since they played the Hall of Fame game in 1991. The Chargers last played in the Hall of Fame game in 1994.
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