The Lions’ first preseason game ended in a 16-14 loss to the Bengals, and the final score told only part of the story. Detroit had a late offensive push and got some strong work from its defensive line, but the night was largely defined by penalties and too many unreliable moments from the receivers.
That said, there was still plenty to sort through from the first live action for Detroit since 2025. A few players helped themselves. A few others made life harder than it needed to be.
Luke Altmyer probably helped his case the most. Even with two interceptions on the stat sheet, he looked solid in his NFL debut with Detroit.
The bigger problem around him was the group catching the football. Isaac TeSlaa, in particular, had a drop that bounced off his helmed directly into the hands of a Bengals defender.
Altmyer may have already faced an uphill climb when the Lions added Josh Dobbs to the QB2 competition, and that still may be true. Dobbs is the veteran here, and Altmyer is the rookie.
But Detroit at least seems to have something worth developing.
Jacob Saylors also made a strong push to be the Lions’ RB3. He gave the offense a burst of toughness and twitch, stayed hard to bring down, and filled the kind of role the team needs after trading away David Montgomery. Saylors finished with the most receiving yards among Detroit offensive players and added a few notable runs, too.
On the defensive side, Ahmed Hassanein kept making his case harder to ignore. After missing his entire rookie season because of injury, he entered camp as something of a forgotten name with the Lions adding help at edge through free agency and the draft.
Instead of fading, he has kept showing up, and he backed it up again here with two sacks and two quarterback hits. He was active all night and never seemed to stop moving.
Skyler Gill-Howard also turned in a useful debut. He tracked down Josh Johnson and later got to him for a sack.
Gill-Howard is 23 years old, Johnson is 40 years old, and that age gap makes the image even more striking. Still, the rookie looked good and continues to improve day by day in camp.
Up front, the picture was mixed. Seth McLaughlin, starting at center, held up reasonably well.
He didn’t give up much pressure in the middle and didn’t look like a major issue as a run blocker. Alongside him, Blake Miller and Larry Borom helped keep the line from falling apart entirely.
The guard play was a different story. Christian Mahogany and Miles Frazier had rough nights and combined for five penalties that kept wrecking Detroit’s momentum.
Those mistakes were a major reason the offense had so much trouble finding rhythm until the final stretch. With Ben Bartch now healthy, both Mahogany and Frazier have work to do in camp and in the next preseason game.
Nick Whiteside may have been the best cornerback on the field for Detroit. He finished with a pass defended and showed the kind of sticky coverage that keeps turning heads in camp.
Like Hassanein, he has been drawing plenty of praise, and it carried over into the game. He could push Rock Ya-Sin for the starting job next to D.J.
Reed, and even if he doesn’t win that spot, Detroit looks like it has a real ball hawk waiting behind them.
And then there’s Jake Bates, who somehow keeps doing a little bit of everything. He drilled a 52-yard field goal and later tackled the Bengals’ kick returner to keep an easy Cincinnati touchdown off the board.
At this point, that seems to be part of his profile. The only thing anyone would probably prefer is that he stays healthy through the preseason.
In Other News...
Ahmed Hassanein Just Gave Lions Fans A New Defensive Line Debate
The Lions opened preseason play with a loss to the Bengals, but there were still a few individual performances worth filing away. Rookie quarterback Luke Altmyer looked composed on offense, while wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa had a rough outing. On the other side of the ball, defensive end Ahmed Hassanein made sure his name stood out with a couple of notable plays against Joe Burrow.
Hassaneins pressure on the Cincinnati quarterback gave Detroit fans a fresh reason to watch the defensive line competition closely. Any preseason snap can shift the conversation for a young player, and sacks against a quarterback of Burrows caliber tend to get remembered. For a Lions group looking to sort out its rotation up front, Hassanein just made the debate a little more interesting. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Preseason Opener Put Several Roster Battles Suddenly In Focus
The Lions first preseason game against the Bengals did more than end in a 16-14 loss. It put a handful of roster races and role battles on display, with some of the younger names making a case for more looks and others reminding the coaching staff how thin the margin can be in August. Hassanein stood out with two sacks, while Saylors led Detroit in both rushing and receiving yards in a game that mostly belonged to the defense and the kinds of players trying to carve out jobs.
Jake Bates accounted for the Lions only points through the first three quarters, which made the offenses uneven night even harder to ignore. Isaac TeSlaa and Frazier both had mixed showings that included turnovers and penalties, the sort of mistakes that tend to carry extra weight this time of year. For a roster still taking shape, the opener offered an early snapshot of who is rising, who is fighting to steady himself, and who now has more work to do before the next cutdown conversation gets serious. [Read more 🡒]