Trey Lance shines at quarterback for the Chargers in a dominant 34-7 victory over the Detroit Lions in the Hall of Fame Game. Here’s what we learned from the NFL preseason opener.
Sure, the Hall of Fame Game is little more than a glorified joint scrimmage, but the Chargers had reasons to feel good Thursday night about their performance in a 34-7 victory over the NFC darling Detroit Lions.
Keep in mind, this wasn’t a quarterback showcase featuring stars Justin Herbert and Jared Goff.
It was Trey Lance versus Kyle Allen, a duel more befitting the announced crowd of 18,144 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
This take-the-wrapper-off game gives coaches a first look at their young players and allows bottom-of-the-roster hopefuls an opportunity to catch a football, or catch an eye — either by their current team or perhaps a next one.
Here are five observations from the Chargers’ preseason opener:
Lance, the onetime third overall pick of San Francisco, looked sharp and polished. Whether that’s enough for him to get the upper hand on Taylor Heinicke for the Chargers’ backup job remains to be seen, but Lance didn’t hurt his chances.
He completed 13 of 20 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
The disclaimer here bears repeating: The preseason is not the regular season, either in speed or talent of the players on the field. A guy can look like an All-Pro in these games and not even make the final roster. In fact, that happens all the time.
Two of Lance’s more memorable passes were to fifth-round pick KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who had a 28-yard reception on third down and a 15-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter. There’s plenty of opportunity for a young receiver to step up for the Chargers, and Lambert-Smith is doing that so far.
