The NFL is finally back.It’s been 173 days since the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, but on Thursday night, the Pro Football Hall of Fame game will usher in a new season.The Pro Football Hall of Fame game returns this weekGettyThe Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions have the honor of contesting the annual exhibition game in Canton, Ohio, before the Class of 2025 receive their iconic gold jackets at a ceremony on Saturday.While all eyes will be on Sterling Sharpe, Antonio Gates, Jared Allen and Eric Allen as they’re enshrined into the hallowed halls this weekend, plenty of action is expected on the field too.Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh has already confirmed some of his starters, including quarterback Justin Herbert, won’t be suiting up.Trey Lance will instead start the Hall of Fame game, having arrived in Los Angeles during the offseason.Jared Goff isn’t expected to play for the Lions, either, with Hendon Hooker and Kyle Allen handling quarterback duties as they battle to be the veteran’s backup in 2025.While the big names might be missing, opportunity knocks for those who take to the field for preseason action.In fact, the quarterbacks playing on Thursday night will be hoping to put in the kind of performance that we saw when the two teams met a decade ago.Back in 2015, the Chargers — then based in San Diego — hosted the Lions in Week 1.Their offseason had been a rollercoaster, with rumors around the future of star Philip Rivers only put to bed less than a month before their opening game.After two-straight resurgent years, Rivers was a top 10 quarterback at the time, and the Chargers made it clear they intended to keep him.Rivers’ future with the Chargers was uncertain heading into the 2015 NFL seasonGettyRivers, though, was not convinced. He indicated in March that year that the team’s looming move to Los Angeles was a factor in his plan to play out his contract year in 2015.But in August, everything changed.The then-33 year old signed a $83.25 million extension with San Diego, which would keep him with the Chargers through 2019.His four-year deal included $65m in guarantees, the most of any player under contract at the time.Against the Lions, one month later, Rivers justified his payday.Rivers leads comeback against DetroitDown 21-3 less than halfway through the second quarter, Rivers rallied the Chargers to 30 straight points for a dramatic 33-28 victory in front of a raucous home crowd at Qualcomm Stadium.Rivers guided the Chargers out of a hole against the Lions a decade agoGettyHe threw two touchdowns as San Diego rallied back from 21-3 downGettyThe Chargers ended up winning the dramatic game 33-28GettySan Diego, though, went on to lose eight of their next nine games in 2015GettyHe battled back from two interceptions, including a 31-yard pick six, to complete 35 of 42 passes for 404 yards and two touchdowns.San Diego’s go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter came on Rivers’ 13-yard pass to tight end Ladarius Green, which also tied the QB with Hall of Famer Dan Fouts for the franchise record of 254.“We couldn’t be much worse in that first half. We just couldn’t get going and when we did we threw it to them,” Rivers said after winning the dramatic game.“We felt like we had them on the ropes and they were not going to stop us unless we just didn’t execute. We were able to keep it rolling.” Unfortunately for Rivers and the Chargers, though, they couldn’t keep it rolling past Week 1.San Diego went on to lose eight of their next nine games en-route to a 4-12 finish.The Chargers played at Qualcomm Stadium for one more season after that, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area.Did Philip Rivers have a Hall of Fame career?Despite only posting a winning record in two of his last five seasons with the Chargers, there is little doubt over Rivers’ Hall of Fame credentials.NFL's Greatest......Ranking the top 10......Quarterbacks of all-time – Can anyone better Tom Brady?Wide receivers of all-time – Does Randy Moss or Jerry Rice come out on top?Running backs of all-time – Stacking Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith and moreTight ends of all-time – How does Travis Kelce compare?He will be eligible to join former teammate and the soon-to-be enshrined Gates in 2026.After entering the NFL as the No. 4 pick in the 2004 draft, Rivers threw 421 touchdowns, the sixth most in league history.His streak of 240 straight starts put him second behind only Brett Favre (297) among quarterbacks.The former Charger also racked up 4,000-yard passing seasons on 12 occasions, and finished his career with 63,440 passing yards — the sixth most in NFL history.Rivers is in the list of top 10 QBs when it comes to career TDs and yardsGettyHowever, he never played in a Super BowlGettyRivers, though, never played in a Super Bowl, and lead his teams to a 5-7 record in the playoffs.His most memorable postseason moment came in the 2007 AFC Championship Game, when he played through a torn ACL.Despite not challenging for the top prize, Rivers has a good shot at making the Hall of Fame, and he will likely be watching as Gates gets inducted this year, after the Chargers and Lions clash in Canton.Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our NFL Facebook page, subscribe to our talkSPORT End Zone YouTube channel for all the offseason news, interviews and more