"Holy sh*t there is football on today!": NFL fans buzz ahead of preseason opener between Lions and Chargers

Thursday night's NFL Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, marks the official start of the 2025 NFL preseason. The Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Chargers will face off in the preseason opener at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

Although it's expected that the key starters for both Detroit and Los Angeles will only watch the game from the sidelines, fans are still excited as football is back.

Let's quickly run through how some fans have reacted to football being back on Thursday.

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"Holy sh*t there is football on today," one fan said.

"Starting today, we will have football all the way to February 2026," another fan said.

"Finally! It’s finally back! I missed you football," another fan said.

"We made it everybody. FOOTBALL IS BACK," another said.

"Our long national nightmare is over," another fan stated.

"Lions and Chargers kicking off the season in Canton. Feels like football’s soft launch party," another fan added.

Both the Lions and the Chargers qualified for the playoffs last season. Their preseason matchup will be a week-long celebration, concluding with the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction celebration.

After the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, every team in the NFL will start preseason, playing three games each. Then, on September 4, the Philadelphia Eagles, reigning Super Bowl winners, and the Dallas Cowboys will kick off the regular season in an NFC East matchup.

How to watch Lions vs. Chargers Hall of Fame Game on Thursday?

Typically, the teams picked to participate in the NFL Hall of Fame game are chosen by the imminent Hall of Fame inductees.

This year's matchup features the Chargers, who went 11-6 in their first year under coach Jim Harbaugh, against the Lions, who are coming off a 15-2 season. Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, will host the game on Thursday, July 30, at 8 p.m. ET.

Live coverage will be provided by NBC, and Peacock will stream it. Cris Collinsworth will be the color analyst while Mike Tirico will provide play-by-play analysis from the commentary booth. Melissa Stark will cover the preseason opener from the sidelines.

Other options for streaming the game include FuboTV and DirecTV.

Game details:

Date and Time: Thursday, July 31, 8:00 p.m. ET

Location: Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, Canton, Ohio

TV: NBC

Live Streaming: DirecTV, FuboTV, Peacock

About the author

Habib Timileyin has been an NFL journalist at Sportskeeda for 2 years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in English, and found himself drawn to the NFL about a decade ago.

Habib's favorite team is the Cincinnati Bengals and he particularly enjoyed their run to the Super Bowl in the 2021 season. The 2016 Super Bowl between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots is his most favorite of all time, and if given a chance to go back in time, he would love to witness the Patroits’ incredible comeback from being 28-3 down to winning 34-28.

Habib admires Tom Brady for his journey from being in a low draft position to achieving immense success in the game. His favorite coach of all time is Bill Belichick.

Habib likes to study intricate details of a story before reporting on it, and compares information among several reputable sources to ensure accuracy. When he's not writing about the NFL, Habib is likely watching Soccer, Basketball or enjoying a good movie on sports.

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Edited by Krutik Jain