Winners and losers from Chargers’ dominant Hall of Fame Game win over Lions

A fourth preseason game for the LA Chargers gives them an extra evaluation tool that 30 other teams won't have. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter talked about how it was a "major advantage" for players attempting to make the 53-man roster.

Who seized the moment? Which players still have more work to do in order to make the roster?

Biggest winners and losers from Chargers' Hall of Fame Game win:

Winner: QB Trey Lance

Harbaugh announced on Tuesday that Trey Lance would get the start in the Hall of Fame Game. A motive to get him reps before a preseason competition with Taylor Heinicke made sense.

Lance took advantage of the three quarters that he played. The former first-round pick went 13/20 for 120 yards and two touchdowns. He had a passer rating of 114.6. Lance seemed very poised on the evening compared to the last time out in the preseason when he had thrown five interceptions with the Cowboys against the Chargers.

The deep shot to KeAndre Lambert-Smith on the sideline is an example of a throw Lance has been making in training camp. Later in the game, he also overcame one of his current NFL weaknesses-throws over the middle of the field. TE Tucker Fisk came down with a tough degree of difficulty throw from Lance to put the Chargers in the red zone. That would lead to Lambert-Smith getting into the end zone on a slant.

There were a few end zone fade balls that weren't great. But outside of that, it was as good as a preseason debut could've gone. We now have a three game competition between him and Heinicke for QB2.

Loser: C Zion Johnson

There were concerns with how Zion Johnson had been performing in camp. Errant snaps and penalties popped up at practice in recent weeks.

It's not necessarily a surprise, though. The coaching staff knew that Johnson would need some time to adapt and learn the position through some growing pains. But Thursday's performance was still not a great sign. Johnson had a high snap when Lance was in shotgun and produced a bobbled snap later in the same drive near the goal line.

From a blocking standpoint, it wasn't a terrible performance for Johnson on the night. But the same snap issues that plagued him in practice carried over to Thursday's game. Last Saturday, Johnson had a false start penalty in practice. On Monday, he snapped the ball over Lance's head.

This cannot happen against the Chiefs in a month. Either Johnson shows some progression over the rest of the preseason or the Chargers cannot even begin to think about starting him at center.

Winner: DB Nikko Reed

Earlier in the week, Minter cited Nikko Reed as someone who consistently makes standout plays in practice. He was all over the field on Thursday. Before halftime, Reed had a special-teams tackle, pass deflection, and an interception.

The physicality and speed he played with in coverage were a statement. It was also an extension of what he had already been doing in camp. Harbaugh also indicated that Reed was playing through an injury.

The tackling isn't perfect as Reed had at least one miss on the night. But he shined enough as a playmaker in his quest to make the roster. If he's also able to hold down a special-teams role like he did tonight, it's going to be hard to escape the inevitability of him making the roster.

Loser: LB Junior Colson

It's one preseason game. That being said, Junior Colson just looked off. He overplayed a rep that allowed Craig Reynolds to walk into the end zone. Over the middle of the field he just looked a bit slow in coverage.

It's also a selection based on the position that Colson finds himself in. The former third-round pick might clearly be LB3/4 on the roster based on their current configuration. Leading off the Hall of Fame Game on special teams is not where we should be with his development in year two.

Winner: WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith

Could KeAndre Lambert-Smith carry his performance in training camp over to a real game? That was what I wanted to know heading into this matchup. DBs in Chargers' training camp simply aren't allowed to contest and cover like opposing defenders would in a real game.

And boy did he answer that question. He reeled in a 28 yard dot from Lance where he had dusted Ennis Rakestraw Jr. deep. But could he do it in the short and intermediate game? That question was also answered with a blistering slant TD win against Dicaprio Bootle.

In his first real test against NFL defenders, Lambert-Smith was incredibly impressive. He's going to be more of a factor this year than previously thought.

Loser: WR Brenden Rice

Brenden Rice didn't get offensive snaps until the fourth quarter. He had a catch late, but the lack of playing time was telling. He is firmly behind JaQuae Jackson and Dalevon Campbell on the depth chart. It's getting late early for Rice's chances to make the roster (or even the practice squad).

Winner: RB Kimani Vidal

Two touchdowns for 2024 sixth-round pick Kimani Vidal tonight. He led the team in rushing and had a particularly impressive run that he was able to counter off of Lance's running gravity.

Vidal should be viewed as the current RB2 with Najee Harris off the roster on NFI. Assuming Harris is back when the season starts, Vidal is close to locking up RB3 on the roster.