Pride of Detroit
Dissecting who stepped up and flamed out in the Detroit Lions' loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in the Hall of Fame Game.
It’s been a long five months, but the NFL is back, and more importantly, the Detroit Lions are playing football.
This season, the Lions got an extra head start on the 2025 season by playing in the NFL Hall of Fame game on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Chargers. While the game was played mostly by backups and third stringers, it’s still important to the players trying to make the roster.
It’s also a good time for the coaches, old and new, to get back into the swing of things. Whether it’s Lions head coach Dan Campbell coaching in his fifth season, or a new coordinator like Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard and offensive coordinator John Morton, it’s good for them to start working out the kinks.
With the first game finished, see who I believe came away from the 34-7 loss a winner with their performance, and who should be thankful it’s still July with three more games left to play.
When it comes to depth on the team, a question mark is at cornerback. Do the Lions keep five or six? Right now, cornerback Rock Ya-Sin is arguing that the team should have him be part of the group. Last year, Detroit was depleted with injuries all over on the defense, so having a veteran as a solid backup isn’t a bad option.
Ya-Sin made only two tackles in the game, but they were big tackles. He stopped two touchdowns on them, and while the Chargers would still score on the drives, it was nice to see him give his all to prevent the touchdowns.
It wasn’t a perfect night for Lovett, as he dropped his first pass attempt that went his way, but once he got the butterflies out of him, he did well. Lovett caught five passes for 31 yards, returning a kick for 22 yards and a punt for 19. One of his catches was a clutch fourth-down grab leading to the Lions’ only touchdown. While he did somewhat bobble a deep ball in the fourth quarter, it was also good coverage by the Chargers defender on the play to turn that into a turnover.
His speed was impressive with what he could do in space. I can see what the coaches saw in Lovett and why they drafted him in the seventh round. He is my WR6 right now, and I don’t think anybody else is close to beating him. Not only can he play wide receiver, but he can return kicks, too. I could see him as an option as the team's kick returner, leaving punts for Kalif Raymond.
While he didn’t get as much playing time as I expected, Manu did well with the time he was given on Thursday night. He was lined up as backup...
