4 things we learned from Chargers’ win over the Lions

Jesse Minter has been nothing short of a wizard with the Chargers’ undrafted and unheralded defensive backs.

The Chargers beat the Lions 34-7 on Thursday night in the annual Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. It was the defense that led the way as they forced five turnovers and picked of Detroit quarterbacks three times, including two from undrafted rookies Nikko Reed and Myles Purchase.

Trey Lance started for the Chargers and played well into the third quarter, finishing with a pair of touchdown passes and zero interceptions.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable game of football to watch if you are a Chargers fan and not so much if you root for Detroit. Normally these early preseason games are nearly unwatchable, but Thursday night’s performance was actually one of the best preseason performances in recent years for the Bolts.

With that said, here are four takeaways from Thursday’s win.

Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman aren’t afraid to throw you a curve ball

If you ask anyone about Greg Roman and Jim Harbaugh’s style of football, you’re going to get some response along the lines of “they’re going to run the crap out of the football” or something close. This is going to happen, but one play stood out to me above all others on Thursday night and that was the seam shot to fullback/tight end Tucker Fisk for a chunk gain in the second quarter.

Lance took the snap, faked a handoff, then rocketed a pass up the right seam to a leaping Fisk who brought in the catch for 19 yards. Before you could actually realize who caught the ball, you may have assumed it was to rookie Oronde Gadsden II or maybe a wideout. But to everyone’s surprise, the massive blocking-specialist ended up standing amongst the scrum.

I loved this play so much because it involved a very unsung player coming up with one of the biggest plays of the game. Yeah it’s just the Hall of Fame Game, but your fourth-string tight end coming up big for his young and inexperienced quarterback? That’s always a win in my book. It also showed the coaching staff is willing to trust Fisk to make something happen in a situation he likely hasn’t been placed in all that much in his career.

Just a whole lot to love here.

KeAndre Lambert-Smith looks ready for the moment

Both Tre’ Harris and KeAndre Lambert-Smith have been making plays on a consistent basis this training camp. But if I were to choose which one has been the most “splashy,” it’s been KLS. And on Thursday night, you were able to say the same thing as the latter hauled in a pair of passes for 43 yards (led the team) and a 15-yard score. Unfortunately for Harris, he went catch-less on just one target from Lance.

We know how talented Harris is and the expectations for him remain, but don’t be surprised to see KLS right there with the team’s second-round pick as far as playing time goes this season.

Jesse Minter is the best thing for a rookie defensive back

Ever since Jesse Minter joined the Chargers as their defensive coordinator, defensive back after defensive back has managed to overachieve in the powder blue. Last season, both Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart played a ton of meaningful football as rookies with the former being one of the biggest surprises in the league. Elijah Molden, who was traded for and seen as a castoff from the Titans, turned in the best performance of his career and parlayed it into a big extension in LA.

With just one game down in the 2025 preseason, a couple undrafted free agents are already making noise, especially former Oregon Duck Nikko Reed.

Reed picked off Lions quarterback Kyle Allen and nearly made a house call. He’s been making “a play a day” per Jim Harbaugh and that habit only continued on Thursday. Later in the fourth quarter, Myles Purchase ripped a ball away from a Lions receiver before putting together a long return of his own.

It’s obviously far too early to anoint these guys as undrafted gems found by the Chargers, but this is one heck of a start regardless.

Just take a look at the Chargers’ top defenders against the Lions. Reed and Purchase were also joined by a third UDFA defensive back in Eric Rogers who also posted a game grade over 90.0.

Trey Lance will make the team, but will he be QB2 or 3?

When the Chargers faced Trey Lance (then with the Cowboys) during the 2024 preseason, he threw five interceptions and overall had a very forgettable day. Fast-forward nearly one calendar year and Lance is coming off a two-score, zero-interception performance for the Bolts over the Lions.

Now one game is just one game so we’re not going to take a ton away from this, but Lance’s performance was more than solid. It will garner some talking points and take up media attention over the weekend, but he’ll have to put together another good game this summer to really be taken seriously as a potential QB2 for the Chargers.

If it’s not for his obvious progression with the Chargers, Lance likely will make the team because he’s a potential trade candidate for a QB-needy team. The 49ers got a fourth-round pick for him and the Chargers could easily get a sixth or seventh from another club if that situation arises. That’s more than enough for Joe Hortiz to keep him around, regardless of how the rest of this preseason plays out.