Joe Burrow’s first preseason snaps of 2026 gave the Bengals exactly what they were looking for: a clean look at the offense under center, a few flashes from young players, and a 16-14 win over the Lions on Thursday night.
Burrow finished 5-of-6 for 39 yards, taking one sack and absorbing a hard hit on the only incompletion of his night. Cincinnati’s first-team offense leaned hard into under center looks right away, with four of the first five plays coming from that alignment. In all, the Bengals ran 13 plays with the starters, and Burrow was under center on seven of them.
The opening sequence showed the plan clearly. Cincinnati picked up a first down and 25 yards on its first three snaps before the fourth play ended with a sack and a 3rd-and-15.
Burrow then worked from shotgun and hit Samaje Perine for six yards before Ryan Rehkow came on to punt. The starters got one more possession, too, and Burrow guided a 9-play, 32-yard drive in the rain before a hit on his arm on third down stopped the series short.
Even without an end zone trip, the first-team offense did what it set out to do: move the ball from under center and show that part of the operation can function.
Evan McPherson handled the weather just fine. He drilled a 56-yard field goal in the pouring rain to put Cincinnati up 3-0, then added a 33-yarder in the third quarter and a 41-yarder in the fourth. That kind of night matters for a kicker, and it was a strong reminder that “Money Mac” still has plenty left in the leg.
The Bengals also got a turnover from the defense early. Jordan Battle picked off a pass on the opening drive after the ball went through Isaac TeSlaa’s hands, and DJ Turner was in tight coverage on TeSlaa on the play.
Cincinnati’s defensive front featured brief debuts for Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen, with Lawrence on the field for three snaps and Allen for three as well. Both are expected to help a unit that needed a major boost.
Several rookies made their presence felt, too. Seventh-round pick Jack Endries scored his first NFL touchdown on a simple throw from Joe Flacco.
Another seventh-rounder, Landon Robinson, generated pressure and drew a holding penalty in the first half, then added another rush that ended in a tackle for loss with Swayze Bozeman. Cashius Howell flashed with a fumble recovery, a pressure and a half sack, even if the night came with a few mistakes.
There were other encouraging signs across the roster. Brian Parker showed well at left guard, got some push, held up, and even took snaps at center in the fourth quarter.
Colbie Young caught two passes for 28 yards. Dohnte Meyers made a strong first impression in his Bengals debut with three catches for 29 yards and a 13-yard rush.
Kris Jenkins was active throughout, finishing with five tackles, a sack, a quarterback hit and a tackle for loss. Bozeman added three tackles, including one for loss, along with a pass defensed.
Not everything was clean. Kendall Milton lost a fumble in the first half while battling for the fourth running back job.
The Bengals were also without several key players. Bryan Cook, Dax Hill and BJ Hill did not play because of injuries that aren’t expected to linger.
Erick All Jr. and Connor Lew sat out while continuing their recoveries from torn ACLs, and rookie cornerback Tacario Davis plus veteran nickel Jalen Davis were inactive. Detroit rested all of its starters as well.
Burrow and Flacco combined to go 10-of-14 for 90 yards and one touchdown, and the Bengals had to sweat a little late when the Lions cut the lead to 16-14. Noah Thomas then recovered the onside kick to seal it.
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