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The Detroit Lions were the NFL's biggest draw in 2024, so it's no surprise the league is turning to the team to help kick off the 2025 season.
The Lions will open the 2025 preseason by playing the Los Angeles Chargers in the annual Hall of Fame game Thursday, July 31, in Canton, Ohio.
Detroit native and legendary Chargers tight end Antonio Gates headlines this year's four-person Hall of Fame class. Gates, former Green Bay Packers receiver Sterling Sharpe, ex-Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen and longtime NFL cornerback Eric Allen will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Aug. 2.
Gates, whose 116 career touchdowns are the most ever by an NFL tight end, told the Free Press at the Super Bowl this year that growing up in Detroit was what started him on his Hall of Fame path.
"Obviously that’s my hometown, my upbringing," he said. "I learned a lot from the city. I believe from my toughness standpoint, my competitiveness, those are the things that I got from the city of Detroit and wouldn’t change it for nothing in the world, man. Blue collar, General Motors, work for everything that we get and I was able to use that concept in the game of football and it translated pretty well now because I’m in the Pro Football Hall of Fame."
The Lions have played in the Hall of Fame game three times previously and are 1-2 in the game. They beat the Denver Broncos in 1991, 14-3, lost to the Broncos in 1976, 10-7, and lost to Washington in 1965, 20-3.
Their opponent will be coached by former University of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh.
As one of the participants in the game, the Lions will have one of the earliest starts to training camp − teams can open camp up to 15 days before their first preseason game - and thus one of the longest seasons.
Lions coach Dan Campbell said at the NFL's annual spring meeting he hoped to have two sets of joint practices this summer, and team president Rod Wood said he was petitioning the league for a midseason bye.
Wood also said the Lions were the league's biggest TV draw last season for games on CBS, ABC, NBC and Amazon − they were No. 2 on Fox − and expected to be a magnet for primetime games again this year.
Last year, the Chicago Bears beat the Houston Texans in a Hall of Fame game played Aug. 1 that was mostly devoid of starters. The Texans reported for camp July 17, while the Bears reported two days later.
"I begged to not have a Monday night game on the west coast again," Wood said in March. "We play L.A. (the Rams) out there, so hopefully if that's primetime, it's Sunday night or it's Sunday 4:25. So those are the kind of things you think about, it's just the travel and the wear and tear on the players and for Dan (Campbell) scheduling the week out.
"but that's just kind of the price of being a good team and being a marketable team and it's a good problem to have."
Tickets for the Hall of Fame game, which will be broadcast on NBC, go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday.
Dave Birkett is the author of the book, "Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline." Order your copy here. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions to play Hall of Fame Game against Los Angeles Chargers
Continue reading...
The Lions will open the 2025 preseason by playing the Los Angeles Chargers in the annual Hall of Fame game Thursday, July 31, in Canton, Ohio.
Detroit native and legendary Chargers tight end Antonio Gates headlines this year's four-person Hall of Fame class. Gates, former Green Bay Packers receiver Sterling Sharpe, ex-Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen and longtime NFL cornerback Eric Allen will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Aug. 2.
Gates, whose 116 career touchdowns are the most ever by an NFL tight end, told the Free Press at the Super Bowl this year that growing up in Detroit was what started him on his Hall of Fame path.
"Obviously that’s my hometown, my upbringing," he said. "I learned a lot from the city. I believe from my toughness standpoint, my competitiveness, those are the things that I got from the city of Detroit and wouldn’t change it for nothing in the world, man. Blue collar, General Motors, work for everything that we get and I was able to use that concept in the game of football and it translated pretty well now because I’m in the Pro Football Hall of Fame."
The Lions have played in the Hall of Fame game three times previously and are 1-2 in the game. They beat the Denver Broncos in 1991, 14-3, lost to the Broncos in 1976, 10-7, and lost to Washington in 1965, 20-3.
Their opponent will be coached by former University of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh.
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As one of the participants in the game, the Lions will have one of the earliest starts to training camp − teams can open camp up to 15 days before their first preseason game - and thus one of the longest seasons.
Lions coach Dan Campbell said at the NFL's annual spring meeting he hoped to have two sets of joint practices this summer, and team president Rod Wood said he was petitioning the league for a midseason bye.
Wood also said the Lions were the league's biggest TV draw last season for games on CBS, ABC, NBC and Amazon − they were No. 2 on Fox − and expected to be a magnet for primetime games again this year.
You must be registered for see images attach
Last year, the Chicago Bears beat the Houston Texans in a Hall of Fame game played Aug. 1 that was mostly devoid of starters. The Texans reported for camp July 17, while the Bears reported two days later.
"I begged to not have a Monday night game on the west coast again," Wood said in March. "We play L.A. (the Rams) out there, so hopefully if that's primetime, it's Sunday night or it's Sunday 4:25. So those are the kind of things you think about, it's just the travel and the wear and tear on the players and for Dan (Campbell) scheduling the week out.
"but that's just kind of the price of being a good team and being a marketable team and it's a good problem to have."
Tickets for the Hall of Fame game, which will be broadcast on NBC, go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday.
Dave Birkett is the author of the book, "Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline." Order your copy here. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions to play Hall of Fame Game against Los Angeles Chargers
Continue reading...
