It’s been a long five months, but the NFL is back, and more importantly, the Detroit Lions are playing football.
This season, the Lions got an extra head start on the 2025 season by playing in the NFL Hall of Fame game on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Chargers. While the game was played mostly by backups and third stringers, it’s still important to the players trying to make the roster.
It’s also a good time for the coaches, old and new, to get back into the swing of things. Whether it’s Lions
head coach Dan Campbell coaching in his fifth season, or a new coordinator like Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard and offensive coordinator John Morton, it’s good for them to start working out the kinks.
With the first game finished, see who I believe came away from the 34-7 loss a winner with their performance, and who should be thankful it’s still July with three more games left to play.
Winners
Rock Ya-Sin
When it comes to depth on the team, a question mark is at cornerback. Do the Lions keep five or six? Right now, cornerback Rock Ya-Sin is arguing that the team should have him be part of the group. Last year, Detroit was depleted with injuries all over on the defense, so having a veteran as a solid backup isn’t a bad option.
Ya-Sin made only two tackles in the game, but they were big tackles. He stopped two touchdowns on them, and while the Chargers would still score on the drives, it was nice to see him give his all to prevent the touchdowns.
Dominic Lovett
It wasn’t a perfect night for Lovett, as he dropped his first pass attempt that went his way, but once he got the butterflies out of him, he did well. Lovett caught five passes for 31 yards, returning a kick for 22 yards and a punt for 19. One of his catches was a clutch fourth-down grab leading to the Lions’ only touchdown. While he did somewhat bobble a deep ball in the fourth quarter, it was also good coverage by the Chargers defender on the play to turn that into a turnover.
His speed was impressive with what he could do in space. I can see what the coaches saw in Lovett and why they drafted him in the seventh round. He is my WR6 right now, and I don’t think anybody else is close to beating him. Not only can he play wide receiver, but he can return kicks, too. I could see him as an option as the team's kick returner, leaving punts for Kalif Raymond.
Giovanni Manu
While he didn’t get as much playing time as I expected, Manu did well with the time he was given on Thursday night. He was lined up as backup left tackle and mostly played in the second half, but he did well for the time he was out there. He was able to help hold defenders away from Hooker. He helped the running game get some holes as well. His performance wasn’t perfect, but it was a step in the right direction and an improvement from where he was last season.
Isaac TeSlaa
The other drafted wide receiver, Isaac TeSlaa, impressed with his time on the field Thursday night. He led the Lions receivers in yards with two catches for 46 yards. We saw him get open in space across the field, and he has a bit of speed that I didn’t expect out of him. He was explosive in his chances he got with the ball, but it wasn’t just his offensive contributions that caught my eye.
When it comes to this team, it’s known that you have to be versatile. With it being an uphill battle for TeSlaa to play this season due to the depth ahead of him, he has to contribute on special teams. If he can continue to play like he did today on special teams, he might get more playing time this year.
pic.twitter.com/zawp7EO0mV
— Jeremy Reisman (@DetroitOnLion) August 1, 2025
Ahmed Hassanein
One of the players I was looking forward to the most was defensive end Ahmed Hassanein. The sixth-round pick out of Boise State was noted as explosive and full of energy coming into training camp, and he hasn’t disappointed so far. Thursday, he had four tackles total, and he showed some promise on some plays that didn’t go his way.
Hassanein pic.twitter.com/MdjMG2ZF00
— Jeremy Reisman (@DetroitOnLion) August 1, 2025
Losers
Special team returners
Lovett is the outlier of this group, as he was the only player successful on returns on Thursday night. It started with linebacker Grant Stuard, who fumbled on the first play of the preseason on the opening kickoff. The turnover gave the Chargers a short field, starting at the Lions' 28, and they would score in five plays.
The next player to struggle with a special teams return was wide receiver Jakobie Keeney-James. Keeney-James muffed a punt return in the third quarter, and the Chargers recovered it at the 5-yard line. The defense held its ground and only allowed a field goal, but giving up 10 points due to poor special teams isn’t what you like to see. Luckily for the Lions, Lovett showed some flashes of talent, so the team seems to have plenty of depth at both return spots.
Kyle Allen
I wasn’t a fan of the Lions signing Kyle Allen in free agency. The Lions said they want to challenge Hendon Hooker for the job, but Allen isn’t the kind of guy to compete for the backup job. He has been on five teams in five seasons. It’s hard to prove yourself when your offense changes every year and you don’t get many chances. Allen is getting a chance this year, and despite how he has looked in camp so far, he didn’t look good tonight.
Allen finished going 9-of-14 for 91 yards and two interceptions. He didn’t start well as the interception came early, but he appeared to be bouncing back well the following drive, finding TeSlaa on two plays. He thought he could make it three on the deep throw to the end zone, but it was overthrown right into the Chargers' safety for an interception. Finally, Allen slid on a third-and-short in the second quarter, instead of fighting for the first down. Sure, it’s preseason, but these are your moments to prove your worth and he passed on it there.
Hendon Hooker
With Allen struggling, it opened the door for Hooker to keep his distance and remain the backup quarterback. While I don’t believe Hooker is in danger of losing his backup job to Allen, he didn’t play well enough to pull himself ahead as the clear backup. Hooker went 2-for-4 for 12 yards and had three carries for 9 yards. Despite trailing for the entire game, the Lions didn’t throw the ball as much in the second half, which was surprising.
You would think the team would give Hooker more chances to throw. Instead, they put the ball on the ground for the running backs to move around and get some experience. That decision is a little puzzling by the coaching staff. Either way, Hooker had a chance to take a firm seat as the backup, but instead is now giving Allen more chances than he should have.
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