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What Time Do the Detroit Lions Play Today? Detroit Lions NFL Preseason Game Preview, Predicted Line-Ups, Rookies in Action, and Where To Watch

2025 NFL preseason officially gets underway with the Hall of Fame Game tonight!

Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images

After months of waiting, the 2025 NFL season is not too far away now. Even though the preseason consists of games that have no bearing on the season ahead, it still provides football action that fans have been wanting since Super Bowl LIX came to an end.

In any case, the first preseason game of the year will be the Hall of Fame game (HOF), as has been the tradition since 1962. This year, the Detroit Lions will take on the Los Angeles Chargers to officially kick off the preseason.

Detroit Lions vs Los Angeles Chargers Preseason Game Preview

It’s a game that will not have any consequences for either team heading into the new season. That said, both teams will want to play it as safely as possible so as to avoid any unwanted injuries.

This being the Hall of Fame game, both sides will also be wary that they still have a full slate of preseason games ahead, which means the game will feature mostly the backup and fringe players. However, that bodes well for those players fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster, as they will get an additional game to impress the coaching staff.

Lions vs. the Chargers in this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on July 31. pic.twitter.com/xuFU7cZx05
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 23, 2025

The Lions will get a first taste of what things could look like under two new coordinators after both Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn left for pastures new in the offseason. Detroit’s offense will now be commanded by John Morton, while Kelvin Sheppard will be in charge of running the defense.

On the other hand, the Chargers will begin their second season under coach Jim Harbaugh. Los Angeles may look to test its run game, which is considered to be their bread and butter under Harbaugh.

Lions vs Chargers Preseason Game Start Time

The Hall of Fame game between the Lions and Chargers is scheduled to kick off at 8:00 PM Eastern Time (ET) on Thursday, July 31st. The game will take place at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, which is part of the Hall of Fame village and next to the Hall of Fame building.

🚨 BIG NEWS 🚨
The Detroit @Lions and Los Angeles @Chargers are set to battle in the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game presented by @NovartisUS!

📅 Thursday, July 31, 2025
⏰ 8 p.m. ET
📍 Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium – Canton, OH
🎟️ Tickets on sale Monday, April 28 at 10… pic.twitter.com/tqpDPtfaQW
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) April 23, 2025

Lions vs Chargers Preseason Game Lineups

As is the case generally in most preseason games, the starters very rarely take the field. The same can be expected here, as both teams are likely to field their deep backups and fringe players.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell has already stated that neither of their top two draft picks from this year’s draft will take part in the HOF game, while Harbaugh has stated that backups Trey Lance and DJ Uiagalelei will be under center in the first and second halves, respectively.

Predicted Lineups for the Detroit Lions

Position	Player	Position	Player
Quarterbacks	Hendon Hooker	Defensive Linemen	Mitchell Agude
Quarterbacks	Kyle Allen		Myles Adams
Running Backs	Craig Reynolds		Roy Lopez
Running Backs	Sione Vaki		Brodric Martin
Wide Receivers	Isaac TeSlaa		Ahmed Hassanein
	Dominic Lovett		Isaac Ukwu
	Jackson Meeks		Chris Smith
	Jakobie Keeney-James		Nate Lynn
	Malik Taylor	Linebackers	Trevor Nowaske
Tight Ends	Kenny Yeboah		Zach Cunningham
Tight Ends	Shane Zylstra		Anthony Pittman
Offensive Linemen	Giovanni Manu		DaRon Gilbert
	Jamarco Jones		Grant Stuard
	Netane Muti	Secondary	Dan Jackson
	Kingsley Eguakun		Dicaprio Bootle
	Kayode Awosika		Nick Whiteside
	Trystan Colon		Ian Kennelly
	Mason Miller		Erick Hallett
	Colby Sorsdal		Avonte Maddox

Predicted Lineups for the Los Angeles Chargers

Position	Player	Position	Player
Quarterbacks	Trey Lance	Defensive Linemen	Scott Matlock
Quarterbacks	DJ Uiagalelei		TeRah Edwards
Running Backs	Hassan Haskins		Josh Fuga
Running Backs	Kimani Vidal		Justin Eboigbe
Wide Receivers	Brenden Rice		Jamaree Caldwell
	JaQuae Jackson		Naquan Jones
	Jaylen Johnson	Linebackers	Kyle Kennard
	Luke Grimm		Kylan Guidry
	KeAndre Lambert-Smith		Marlowe Wax
Tight Ends	Oronde Gadsden II		Kana’i Mauga
Tight Ends	Tucker Fisk		Troy Dye
Offensive Linemen	Branson Taylor		Tre’Mon Morris-Brash
	Nash Jones		Garmon Randolph
	Josh Kaltenberger	Secondary	Jordan Oladokun
	Ryan Nelson		Jaylen Jones
	Trey Pipkins III		Emany Johnson
	Jamaree Salyer		Eric Rogers
	Karsen Barnhart		R. J. Mickens
	Andre James		Trikweze Bridges

Lions vs Chargers Preseason Game: Rookies in Action

Rookies are generally given more preseason games, as it helps them get acquainted with the new system as well as get a feel for what the game is like at the professional level.

Having said that, the Lions will definitely not have Tyleik Williams and Tate Ratledge on the field, as mentioned by Dan Campbell. Additionally, guard Miles Frazier has been ruled out due to a knee injury. However, there is a good chance that Detroit’s remaining rookies will get some game action. Here are the players who could feature in the HOF game.

Isaac TeSlaa – wide receiver
Dominic Lovett – wide receiver
Ahmed Hassanein – defensive end
Dan Jackson – safety

Boy does this look familiar… 👀

Isaac TeSlaa already making plays at camp in Detroit! #WPS

pic.twitter.com/Q5Fm7glned
— Jacob Morris (@JacobMorrisTV) May 10, 2025

On the other side of the ball, the Chargers have not made it clear which rookies will or will not play. Nevertheless, it is expected that Omarion Hampton and Tre Harris will not feature in the HOF game. The following players could see the field for the Chargers.

Jamaree Caldwell – defensive tackle
Kyle Kennard – linebacker
KeAndre Lambert-Smith – wide receiver
Oronde Gadsden II – tight end
Branson Taylor – left tackle
R. J. Mickens – safety
Trikweze Bridges – cornerback

Lions vs Chargers Preseason Game: Where To Watch

NBC will televise the Hall of Fame game between the Lions and Chargers on Thursday, July 31, live for fans who wish to tune in. Other options to catch the game live include streaming via Peacock, NFL+, and DirecTV.

Mandatory Image Credit: Imagn Images

Detroit Lions

Los Angeles Chargers

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Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!