Lions Fall 16-14 to Bengals as Young Players Make Their Case in Preseason Action
Jacob Saylors, Ahmed Hassanein and several Lions youngsters flashed as Detroit continued evaluating its roster in Cincinnati
CINCINNATI — The final score won’t mean much when the regular season begins, but Thursday night’s preseason matchup gave the Detroit Lions coaching staff plenty of film to evaluate.
Detroit fell 16-14 to the Cincinnati Bengals, nearly completing a fourth-quarter comeback before a late interception effectively ended the Lions’ final opportunity.
For head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes, however, Thursday night was primarily about evaluating rookies, young players and veterans fighting for spots on Detroit’s 53-man roster.
And several players gave them something to think about.
Altmyer gets the start
Rookie quarterback Luke Altmyer opened the game for Detroit and looked comfortable early before an unfortunate turnover ended the Lions’ opening possession.
Altmyer targeted Isaac TeSlaa, but the pass was tipped after hitting TeSlaa’s helmet and was intercepted.
Altmyer would eventually finish his first-half work 6-of-10 for 69 yards with an interception.
Detroit also got an early opportunity to see its young defense against legitimate NFL competition, with Cincinnati playing many of its offensive starters.
That included Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
Hassanein makes his presence felt
One of Detroit’s most encouraging defensive moments came from rookie defensive lineman Ahmed Hassanein.
Hassanein broke through Cincinnati’s protection and brought down Burrow for a sack, continuing what has already been an impressive training camp.
It was exactly the type of play a young defender trying to establish himself wants on film.
Detroit’s defense later pressured Burrow again, with the rookie Eric O’Neill delivering a hit as the quarterback released a deep pass. The pressure helped force an incompletion, and Cincinnati eventually settled for a field goal to take a 3-0 lead.
Saylors emerges as an offensive bright spot
Running back Jacob Saylors was one of Detroit’s most consistent offensive performers throughout the first half.
Whether carrying the football or contributing in the passing game, Saylors repeatedly gave Detroit positive plays.
His biggest run of the half went for 27 yards, moving Detroit deep into Cincinnati territory. Saylors appeared shaken up at the end of the play but remained one of the biggest offensive stories of the night.
He finished the first half with 55 rushing yards on eight carries, averaging nearly seven yards per attempt. He also led Detroit in receiving at halftime with three receptions for 28 yards.
For a player trying to separate himself in a competitive running back room, Saylors made his opportunities count.
Abney comes up with the recovery
The Lions received another encouraging contribution from one of their rookies in the second quarter.
With Cincinnati threatening in the red zone, the Bengals put the football on the ground and rookie cornerback Keith Abney II was there to scoop it up for Detroit.
Unfortunately for the Lions, they immediately gave the football back.
Altmyer lost control of the wet ball while attempting a handoff to Saylors, giving Cincinnati possession inside Detroit’s 10-yard line.
The Bengals took advantage of the short field, using play action before finding rookie tight end Jack Endries for the touchdown and a 10-0 lead with 9:35 remaining in the second quarter.
Dobbs takes over
Joshua Dobbs replaced Altmyer during the second quarter and provided Detroit with another dimension because of his mobility.
Dobbs scrambled for nine yards during one possession as Detroit moved into Cincinnati territory, but penalties continued to hurt the Lions.
That became a recurring theme throughout the night.
Detroit was eventually forced to punt after Dobbs was sacked, while the Lions continued battling through the type of mistakes Campbell will undoubtedly want cleaned up before the regular season.
Dobbs finished the first half 4-of-8 for 32 passing yards.
Bates puts Detroit on the board
Detroit finally broke through late in the second quarter.
After another drive moved the Lions into scoring position, Jake Bates connected on a field goal to cut Cincinnati’s advantage to 10-3.
The Lions defense then quickly got the football back with only seconds remaining.
Saylors immediately ripped off a nine-yard run, giving Bates an opportunity from long range.
He delivered.
Bates drilled a 52-yard field goal as the first half expired, sending Detroit into halftime trailing just 10-6.
Despite the turnovers, penalties and inconsistent offensive execution, the Lions remained within striking distance.
Penalties and inconsistency continue after halftime
Cincinnati received the football to begin the second half, while Detroit’s defense initially opened with an encouraging negative play.
But penalties continued to become an issue across multiple phases of the game, including special teams.
Detroit’s first offensive possession of the second half resulted in a three-and-out, putting the defense right back onto the field.
Campbell’s frustration was visible as the mistakes continued.
TeSlaa also continued receiving snaps deep into the game, giving Detroit additional opportunities to evaluate the young receiver against live competition.
Cincinnati eventually extended its advantage to 13-6 during the third quarter and later added another field goal to make it 16-6.
Lions make one final push
Detroit’s offense finally found the end zone late in the fourth quarter.
Altmyer returned at quarterback and connected with Tarik Black for a late touchdown, cutting into Cincinnati’s lead.
Rather than settling for the extra point, Detroit went for two.
Altmyer kept the football and ran it into the end zone himself, suddenly making it a 16-14 game.
Detroit then declared an onside kick, but Cincinnati recovered.
The Lions defense still gave the offense one more opportunity by coming up with the stop it needed.
With a chance to complete the comeback, Altmyer and the offense returned to the field.
But the rookie quarterback threw his second interception of the night, effectively ending Detroit’s comeback bid.
Cincinnati ran out the remaining time to secure the 16-14 victory.
More important than the scoreboard
The Lions didn’t leave Cincinnati with a win, but preseason football isn’t primarily about wins and losses.
It’s about evaluation.
Saylors made a strong case with his production on the ground and through the air. Hassanein continued his impressive summer by recording a sack against Joe Burrow. Abney found himself around the football with a red-zone fumble recovery. Bates showed his range with a 52-yard field goal.
There were also plenty of areas Detroit will want to clean up.
The Lions committed too many penalties, had issues protecting the football and struggled to consistently sustain drives. Altmyer showed encouraging moments but also experienced the highs and lows that come with evaluating a rookie quarterback, including two interceptions and a late touchdown drive that nearly brought Detroit all the way back.
For Campbell and Holmes, those moments are exactly what the preseason is designed to reveal.
The final scoreboard reads Bengals 16, Lions 14.
The more important results will come after Detroit’s coaching staff turns on the film and determines which players took another step toward making the 53-man roster.
MCSN will continue providing Detroit Lions coverage throughout the preseason and as the competition for the final roster intensifies.
