The Detroit Lions are licking their wounds after that embarrassing and high-profile loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in the Hall of Fame game on Thursday, July 31. Talks about a game that one would rather forget. The team lost 34-7, and it was just a dismal showing. Since it was the first preseason game of the year, too, plenty of people were watching across the country. Hopefully it’s not a sign of what’s to come.
In that game, the Lions, of course, were up against Jim Harbaugh, who coached at the University of Michigan for years. He even coached Aidan Hutchinson when the star edge was in Ann Arbor.
Following the brutal win over the Lions, Harbaugh had some words for the Detroit Lions. He summed up their character in two words.
The Detroit Lions and Jim Harbaugh
During the Hall of Fame game, the Los Angeles Chargers held the Lions to only 93 rushing yards at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Speaking about the victory, Harbaugh was respectful of the Lions.
GettyHead coach Jim Harbaugh of the Los Angeles Chargers shakes hands with head coach Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions after the Chargers defeated the Lions 34-7 in the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game.
He summed up the team in two words, saying that they’re a “deep team.”
“Nothing but respect for the Lions, I mean, they’re a deep team,” Harbaugh said in a postgame conference. “To hold the Lions under a hundred yards rushing, that was a great accomplishment for us.”
It’s nice of Harbaugh to say the Lions are deep, but an argument could be made that the Lions need to be deeper. That’s especially true when it comes to quarterback and edge rusher.
Jim Harbaugh Praises His Own Players
Also following the Lions game, Harbaugh praised his own team. “Been feeling like we got a lot of ascending players that have been ascending in practice and just couldn’t wait to see them play in the real game,” Harbaugh said, according to the Charger’s site.
He also rightly praised the team’s defense and gave them props for creating so many turnovers during the game. “Defense kind of picking up where they left off, seven points and creating turnovers for us,” Harbaugh said. He later added, “Good start, we’ll go back and keep building.”
The Chargers are certainly ahead of the Lions when it comes to quarterback No. 2. Their player, Trey Lance, had a stellar performance.
“Going into free agency this offseason, my goal was to take a big step in my career,” Lance said in the postgame press conference. “I want to be a starter one day. That’s my goal and I believe it will happen.” He added, “I’m just waiting for my opportunity. Coming the Chargers, Justin [Herbert] is obviously a great guy to learn from. Great situation for me to be in.”
Meanwhile, Lions head coach Dan Campbell had some strong words for his team after the loss. “You want to win the game, you also want to play really well, and we didn’t do that,” Campbell said. “I would expect us to play much better next week.”
So, let’s hope the Lions show their stuff over the next few preseason games.
