The Detroit Lions opened the exhibition portion of their schedule with a 16-14 road loss against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. According to Pride of Detroit, the contest featured a slopfest from a weather, turnover, and penalty standpoint, but also provided substantial evaluation value for Dan Campbell in his sixth season at the helm. Detroit played more players likely to make the 53-man roster than in any previous preseason game under Campbell, giving developing players valuable repetitions against Cincinnati starters.
Detroit Lions Fall to Bengals in Preseason Opener
Cincinnati deployed its starters for the entire first quarter. Detroit’s backups held their own against them, providing positive reinforcement for Kelvin Sheppard entering his second year as the Lions’ defensive coordinator, as detailed by Yahoo Sports.
Standouts Emerge in the Backfield and Front Seven
Running back Jacob Saylors strengthened his case for a roster spot with a strong performance, finishing with eight carries for 55 yards, a long run of 27 yards, four additional runs of seven or more yards, and three catches for 28 receiving yards. Saylors showed intimidating acceleration, ran through arm tackles, proved competent in pass protection, and earned the highest offensive grade on the team at 87.1.
With Isaiah Pacheco dealing with a sprained MCL and Sione Vaki out with a broken nose, the running back workload was shared by Saylors, Kyle Robichaux, and Raheem Blackshear. As a group, the trio rushed 21 times for 119 yards, averaging 5.66 yards per carry. Blackshear added five carries for 33 yards with a 24-yard run, while Robichaux carried eight times for 31 yards.
Defensively, defensive end Ahmed Hassanein continued his training camp surge by sacking Joe Burrow against Cincinnati’s starting offensive line. Gill-Howard also recorded a quarterback hit with an inside fake into a swim move against second-year Bengals guard Jalen Rivers.
Offensive Line Struggles and Quarterback Play
The starting offensive line featured Larry Borom at left tackle, Christian Mahogany at left guard, Seth McLaughlin at center, Miles Frazier at right guard, and Blake Miller at right tackle. According to the Detroit Lions, the unit dealt with penalty issues. Frazier was called for three holding penalties, Mahogany was flagged for a hold and an illegal player downfield penalty, and McLaughlin allowed one sack. Niese also recorded two bad snaps that resulted in fumbles. Conversely, Miller played 39 snaps and finished with a 66.5 Pro Football Focus grade, while Borom also logged 39 snaps at left tackle.
At quarterback, Luke Altmyer went 13-of-22 with one touchdown and two interceptions, finishing with a 64.5 PFF grade while working through his progressions and looking composed.
Rookies and Wide Receivers Seeking Bounce-Backs
Wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa had a difficult preseason debut, catching zero of his three targets across 17 snaps. TeSlaa had two drops, including a pass that bounced off his helmet into an interception and another that could have converted a fourth down. He finished with the third-worst offensive grade on the team at 42.0. Dominic Lovett led the team with eight targets, catching three for 28 yards over 32 snaps. Cedrick Wilson recorded one catch for 23 yards on his only target, Tarik Black caught one pass for Detroit’s lone touchdown, and Greg Dortch appeared briefly on seven snaps.
Cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. also faced early challenges when Bengals quarterbacks completed a few passes in his coverage area before he left the game due to an injury. TeSlaa, Rakestraw, Mahogany, and Frazier will have an opportunity to bounce back when the Lions host Washington at Ford Field for their second preseason game.
