The Bengals walked out of their preseason opener with a 16-14 win over the Lions, but the scoreline wasn’t the only thing that mattered. Joe Burrow got a small sample of work, and it came with a couple of uncomfortable moments mixed in.
Burrow played 13 snaps and completed 5 of 6 passes for 39 yards. That’s a light workload, but Cincinnati at least gave its starters a little time on the field before pulling them back.
The issue was what happened during those snaps. Burrow was sacked once and also absorbed a hard hit, the kind of contact that tends to get a head coach’s attention fast.
The sack came early, when second-year Lions edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein got to Burrow on the Bengals’ opening drive. In the first quarter with 10:26 left, Hassanein dropped him for a nine-yard loss and pushed Cincinnati back to its own 40-yard line, setting up a punt.
The second hit came on a third-down throw during Cincinnati’s next offensive series. Lions defensive end Eric O'Neill slipped past left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and got Burrow on the arm just as he released the ball, leading to an incomplete pass.
Afterward, Zac Taylor made it clear he wasn’t pleased. Speaking to reporters after the game, as shared by NBC 5 Cincinnati sports director Charlie Clifford, Taylor said, "It's never fun. That's not what we ever want to happen."
Clifford also noted, "Taylor says Jalen Davis and Tecario Davis each would have played tonight had it been a real game. Being extra cautious."
In Other News...
Lions Injury Scare Feels Different Now But One Concern Remains
Detroits preseason opener came with the kind of injury scare that can tighten a coachs jaw in a hurry, but the early read from Dan Campbell was at least encouraging on two fronts. Ennis Rakestraw and Mekhi Wingo both came out of the game with issues, yet Campbell said Rakestraw is likely dealing with an arm contusion rather than anything more damaging, while Wingo may enter concussion protocol without being viewed as seriously hurt.
Loren Strickland is the name that still leaves a little unease hanging in the air. His injury is the one that remains unresolved pending imaging, and until those results come back, the Lions are left to sort through a preseason moment that felt heavier than a routine tuneup but now looks manageable in spots and uncertain in one key place. [Read more 🡒]
Ahmed Hassanein Just Gave The Lions A Pass Rush Reason To Hope
Ahmed Hassaneins return to the field in Detroits preseason opener offered the kind of early reminder teams hope to see from a young pass rusher coming off a long absence. After missing all of last season because of a pec injury, he made his presence felt against the Cincinnati Bengals and added to a camp that already had him drawing more opportunities. For a Lions defense looking for more pressure up front, his timing could not have been much better.
Hassanein has been earning more playing time throughout training camp, and the preseason stage only strengthened his case for a larger role. He was around the ball, finished plays, and gave Detroit another edge option to consider as the roster starts to take shape. The real question now is whether this strong start turns into something more meaningful once the games count, because the Lions suddenly have a pass rush conversation worth following. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Preseason Opener Put Several Roster Battles Suddenly In Focus
The Lions first preseason game against the Bengals offered an early look at a roster that still has plenty to sort out, and the 16-14 loss did not do much to settle things. There were encouraging signs from Hassanein, who came away with two sacks, and from Saylors, who led the team in both rushing and receiving yards, while Jake Bates accounted for Detroits only points through the first three quarters.
Still, the opener also put some of the margin-of-error players in sharper relief. Isaac TeSlaa and Frazier both had uneven moments, with turnovers and penalties showing up at the wrong times, and that is exactly the kind of detail coaches tend to lean on when roster decisions start getting real. For a team trying to separate itself from the pack at the bottom of the depth chart, those next snaps may matter as much as the scoreboard did Friday night. [Read more 🡒]