The Detroit Lions got an early start to their preseason on Thursday, but could have used a bit more time to shake off the rust — especially one young quarterback fighting for a spot on the roster.
The Lions fell to the Los Angeles Chargers 34-7, struggling to get their offense going and struggling with some costly mistakes on special teams. The extra preseason game — the Lions still have three more — was an opportunity for quarterbacks Hendon Hooker and Kyle Allen to vie for the No. 2 spot behind Jared Goff, but neither stood out in the sloppy performance.
After the game, Hooker lamented the lost opportunity to prove himself.
Hendon Hooker’s Shaky Second Half
The Lions started Allen in Thursday’s game, giving him the first half before inserting Hooker in the third quarter. The offense had struggled through the first half and didn’t get any better with Hooker, who went 3-of-6 for just 18 yards with one interception and no touchdowns.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Hooker said he was disappointed with his performance.
“I’m just very disappointed in myself as far as leading the troops down the field and making more plays,” Hooker said, via USA Today’s Lions Wire.
Billy Riccette of Lions Wire noted that Hooker had been looking good in training camp, so Thursday’s performance could be chalked up to an off night.
“It’s a small sample size and Hooker wasn’t given much work in the grand scheme of things Thursday,” Riccette wrote. “Ideally, Hooker gets at least one start during the preseason, if not two, with the Lions having four preseason games. By many accounts, Hooker has been having a good camp thus far. Perhaps Thursday will give him extra motivation to keep moving forward.”
Lions Face Competition for No. 2 Spot
Hooker and Allen expected to face a tight battle for the No. 2 spot, though neither appeared to gain an advantage from the first preseason game. Allen struggled as well, going 9-for-14 for 91 yards but throwing two interceptions.
Though the team invested a third-round pick in Hooker in 2023, he has failed to gain a solid foothold with the team. After missing most of his rookie season while rehabbing a torn ACL suffered in his final year at Tennessee, Hooker faced more challenges in his second season in 2024.
The Lions brought veteran Teddy Bridgewater out of retirement for the final stretch of the season and the playoffs. When Goff went down in the team’s divisional-round loss to the Washington Commanders, it was Bridgewater and not Hooker who came in for a few snaps in relief.
Lions general manager Brad Holmes said earlier in the preseason that Hooker would need to prove himself in order to win the backup job this year.
“I mean, look, we like Hendon,” Holmes said, via USA Today’s Lions Wire. “He had the injury that first year, then last year that was the first year that he kind of was able to do a full year of training camp and during the season. And then we brought Teddy Bridgewater in just because we were gearing up for the playoffs and postseason and he just wasn’t ready yet, you know? And he understood that.”
