

The Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions will play in the Hall of Fame Game on July 31 — the NFL’s annual preseason kickoff — at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio at 8 p.m. ET.
The game will be televised on NBC and streamed on Peacock with Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Melissa Stark and Terry McAulay on the call.
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The matchup will take place ahead of the Aug. 2 enshrinement ceremony that will see tight end Antonio Gates, defensive end Jared Allen, defensive back Eric Allen and wide receiver Sterling Sharpe inducted into the Hall of Fame. That class was revealed during February’s NFL Honors show in New Orleans and is the Hall’s smallest induction group in 20 years — and the smallest possible under the new rules. All four players will be introduced on the field prior to the opening kickoff of the Hall of Fame Game.
The game typically features at least one team with strong ties to a member of that year’s Hall of Fame class. For this year’s game, that would be Gates, who was born in Detroit and played his entire 16-year career with the Chargers organization, spending the first 14 years of his career in San Diego and the last two in LA. His 116 career receiving touchdowns are the most among all tight ends and the seventh-most in league history. A five-time All-Pro selection, Gates is the Chargers’ franchise leader in receptions (955), receiving yards (11,841) and touchdowns.
An additional tie for the game lies with Eric Allen, who is from San Diego and played his high school ball at Point Loma before attending Arizona State. In his 14-year NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints and Oakland Raiders, the three-time All-Pro recorded 54 interceptions, which ranks tied for 21st all-time.
The Lions and Chargers are coming off seasons where they reached the postseason. Under Dan Campbell’s leadership, Detroit earned the NFC’s No. 1 seed with a franchise-high 15 wins before a stunning loss in the divisional round to the Washington Commanders. In Jim Harbaugh’s first season, Los Angeles reached the postseason but lost in the wild-card round to the Houston Texans.
With the Lions and Chargers taking part in this game, each team will now have four preseason contests instead of the typical three. This is partially why starters rarely play in the game. Last year’s Hall of Fame Game between the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans marked the debut of the dynamic kickoff and ended early due to inclement weather.
(Photo of Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium: Charles LeClaire / Imagn Images)
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