Who Should I Start? Jared Goff or Justin Herbert

Friday, August 8, 2:31 PM

In the Detroit Lions' second preseason game on Friday night against the Atlanta Falcons, starting quarterback Jared Goff will not suit up, giving third-year signal-caller Hendon Hooker the start. Kyle Allen made the start in the first preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers and played the entire first half. Allen and Hooker, who went 3-for-6 for 18 yards, combined to throw three interceptions in the opener, so head coach Dan Campbell is looking for better communication, execution and ball movement on Friday. Allen and Hooker are in a close competition to be Goff's backup entering the 2025 season, according to Lions beat writer Tim Twentyman. If Hooker can get off to a good start against Atlanta and keep the offense moving, he could separate himself from Allen a bit in the backup competition this summer.

Thursday, August 21, 6:51 PM

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said that quarterback Justin Herbert and the rest of the starters will not play in the preseason finale on Saturday against the San Francisco 49ers. Backup QB Trey Lance will get the start under center and will play one to two series. Taylor Heinicke will come in after Lance, followed by DJ Uiagalelei, who will play the rest of the game. Lance and Heinicke are competing for the No. 2 job this summer, although it's unclear if Lance has the leg up based on the fact that he's making the start in the preseason finale. Neither Lance nor Heinicke figure to be on the field much behind Herbert, who has been one of the toughest QBs in the league since entering the NFL in 2020. Herbert missed four games due to injury in 2023 but has started all 79 of the games he's appeared in over the last five seasons.