Thursday will mark 173 days since the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59. It’s been a long wait but an NFL game is finally set to be played when the Detroit Lions take on the Los Angeles Chargers in the annual Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.
The intensity of an extra preseason game is a far cry from the Super Bowl but it sets the table for a special weekend in which a new Pro Football Hall of Fame class gets enshrined. It’s also a reminder that the regular season is just around the corner.
The game: Chargers vs. Lions, Thursday, 8 p.m. ET
This year’s game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium is the first to be played in July since the New England Patriots took on the San Francisco 49ers on July 31, 2000. That game 25 years ago was the NFL debut of Tom Brady, who was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round a few months prior.
The Hall of Fame Game typically doesn’t involve many key pieces from either side but the Chargers have announced that Trey Lance will start at quarterback. The No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft signed with the Chargers in April after beginning his career in San Francisco and spending the past two seasons in Dallas.
The 2024 Hall of Fame Game between the Chicago Bears and the Houston Texans was called late in the third quarter due to inclement weather. The same thing happened in 1980 and 2003. Since 1962, the game has been canceled only three times: in 2011 (lockout), 2016 (bad field conditions) and 2020 (pandemic).
The ceremony: Saturday, 1 p.m. ET
Thursday’s game serves more as the welcome mat for what the weekend is really about, which is the enshrinement of the newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This year’s class features Eric Allen, Jared Allen, Antonio Gates and Sterling Sharpe. It’s the smallest class since the Class of 2005, which was also a four-man group.
The new members receive their gold jacket at dinner Friday, the evening before the big ceremony. Saturday afternoon will feature the main event, when the four former players will take the stage, unveil their Hall of Fame busts and give speeches.
How to watch
Game: NBC and Peacock.
Broadcasters: Mike Tirico (play-by-play) and Cris Collinsworth (color).
HOF ceremony: Fox and NFL Network.
(Photo: Ed Balint / Canton Repository via Imagn Images)
