Los Angeles Chargers 34, Detroit Lions 7
CANTON, Ohio --
- Lance produces quality tape. Trey Lance's NFL journey has been anything but memorable to this point, but on Thursday night, Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh gave him three quarters to prove he's worth a roster spot. Lance unquestionably delivered, completing 13 of 20 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns, including a beautiful rollout toss to tight end Will Dissly on fourth-and-goal and a 15-yard pass on a hard slant to KeAndre Lambert-Smith. Lance performed surprisingly well from the pocket, reading coverage and finding open receivers while also accepting checkdowns when necessary. He was rarely frazzled by the rush and sustained Chargers drives deep into Lions territory, and while they struggled to finish off a pair of red zone trips, Lance exceeded expectations in total, earning respect while producing evidence in his case to be Justin Herbert's backup.
- The Lions' backup quarterback situation isn't looking pretty. Kyle Allen was first up in the order and delivered a very up-and-down performance, completing 9 of 14 passes for 91 yards, but throwing two horrendous interceptions that tanked any goodwill he'd built up with his arm. Making matters worse, Hendon Hooker didn't fare any better, struggling with accuracy (he sailed a pass down the middle of the field that nearly resulted in an interception and tossed a pick late in the fourth quarter) and failing to find a rhythm while playing with a cast of roster bubble candidates. We'll see if Dan Campbell reverses the rotation next week and if that helps Hooker, because he could use it -- and in another highly anticipated season, the Lions would feel much better if a quality, reliable backup emerged.
- Reed backs up his camp buzz. Nikko Reed has been one of the stars in Chargers training camp so far and made an excellent, instinctive play that further bolstered his case for a roster spot Thursday night. Amid a promising Lions drive, Kyle Allen dropped to pass and spotted receiver Tom Kennedy running an out toward the sideline at the sticks. Allen planted and fired, but instead of gaining a first down for his Lions, he watched Reed read the play the entire way, sliding underneath Kennedy to snatch Allen's pass out of the air before taking off down the sideline in the opposite direction, nearly scoring a touchdown. With a number of unproven candidates vying for roster spots at cornerback, Reed has a legitimate opportunity to earn a place on the final 53-man roster. Plays like that will certainly help him.
- Veteran defensive backs step up. Detroit has already learned how fleeting defensive backfield depth can be in the last week after Terrion Arnold suffered a hamstring injury in camp and Kerby Joseph exited practice with a knee issue. With this in mind, they need players located further down the depth chart to prove they can be counted on. Rock Ya-Sin did that twice Thursday night, proving to be an excellent run defender. He cut down an off-tackle run by rookie Omarion Hampton that appeared to be destined to finish in the end zone and instead finished at Detroit's 5-yard line, then one-upped himself by stonewalling Kimani Vidal on a similar run, keeping him out of the end zone at Detroit's 2. On the other sideline, Tony Jefferson is in his second year after unretiring and joining the Chargers. He managed to make a great play in the first quarter Thursday, closing the gap from his spot as one of two deep safeties and erasing Allen's attempt to lob a touchdown pass to rookie Isaac TeSlaa, tracking the ball, leaping and snagging it out of the air for an interception. As every NFL team knows, depth is vital for those pursuing a Lombardi Trophy. Each team received a reason to consider keeping seasoned defenders on Thursday night.
