As fans await the release of the 2025 NFL schedule, we at least know who will kick off preseason play in the Hall of Fame Game.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced that the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Chargers will square off in the 2025 Hall of Fame Game on July 31, at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.
Chargers legend and former star tight end Antonio Gates is among the four 2025 Hall of Fame inductees, along with Eric Allen, Jared Allen and Sterling Sharpe. Gates played each of his 16 NFL seasons with the Chargers, retiring after the 2018 season.
It’s obviously far too early to know if the Lions and Chargers will play either of their key starters in the Hall of Fame Game, but it’s still an enticing contest between two of football’s most entertaining teams.
Coming off their third straight winning season and a franchise-best 15-2 record, the Lions enter the 2025 campaign as one of the early favorites to win Super Bowl 59. Dan Campbell’s squad looks to rebound from a stunning 45-31 loss at home to Jayden Daniels’ Washington Commanders in the Divisional Round.The Chargers finished 11-6 under new head coach Jim Harbaugh, thanks to the league’s stingiest defense that allowed just 17.7 points per game. However, the turnaround season ended with an ugly 32-12 loss to the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round.
First Hall Of Fame Game For Lions & Chargers In Decades
It’s been a long time since the Lions and Chargers each appeared in a Hall of Fame Game, to say the very least.
The Chargers last played in the annual game in 1994, a 21-17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. It’s been an even longer wait for the Lions, who last played in the Hall of Fame Game in 1991, a 14-3 win over the Denver Broncos.
