Look what I found: Sometimes being in the right place at the right time pays off in this game. Rookie cornerback Keith Abney II secured the first of what he and the Lions hope are a lot of takeaways in his career when he recovered a fumble at Detroit's 10-yard line that thwarted a Cincinnati scoring chance.
Abney also showed off the physical brand of football he's becoming known for on the practice field with a suplex tackle and a couple other nice hits. He finished with five tackles and that fumble recovery as he battles veterans Roger McCreary and Christian Izien for the nickel role.
First play, first sack: Second-year edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein has had a great start to training camp after switching from rush end to big end in Kelvin Sheppard's defense this year. It's the position he played at Boise State when he racked up 22.0 sacks and 33.0 tackles for loss combined in his final two seasons.
Hassanein made an early impact on his first snap of the game Thursday night, recording a sack against Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow that forced a 3rd & 15 during Cincinnati's first possession. Hassanein then made the tackle on a screen pass on third down to force a punt. Later he recorded a strip sack for his second sack of the contest. It's a great sign he's taking his playmaking from the practice field to the preseason.
Starters vs. reserves: Burrow and the Bengals' starters on offense played two series, scored three points (on a 56-yard FG) and had about 50 yards of offense vs. Detroit's reserves on defense. Burrow was five-for-six for 39 yards with a 93.8 passer rating. He was sacked once and hit twice. The moment wasn't too big for the reserves on defense and they competed, which head coach Dan Campbell loved after the game.
Cincinnati's starters on defense held a Detroit offense that also consisted mostly of reserves scoreless in their two series, but the Lions still moved the ball well led by quarterback Luke Altmyer. Detroit had 80 yards of offense against Cincinnati's starters in two series. Altmyer had an interception that ended the first series, but it was a good throw that bounced off wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa's hands at the Bengals' 26-yard line.
First challenge: Campbell is 0-1 to start the year using his challenge flag. He challenged a fourth quarter play that was called an incomplete pass from Cincinnati quarterback Josh Johnson to wide receiver Dohnte Meyers on the field. Campbell challenged the incomplete pass ruling, thinking it was a catch and fumble created by cornerback Ryan Cooper Jr. After official review, the call on the field was upheld. Campbell was four-for-seven on challenges in the 2025 regular season.
Bates hot start: Lions kicker Jake Bates looked to be in midseason form as he made field goals from 41 and 52 yards in addition to his one extra point attempt. His biggest play Thursday wasn't even a kick, though. He made a diving tackle in the open field that saved a touchdown on a kickoff return. The third-year kicker did a little of everything for Detroit.
Starting O-line: Detroit likes their depth along the offensive line and is still trying to sort out the starting left guard spot and center after the injury to Cade Mays that will sideline him to start the regular season.
The starting offensive line Thursday was Blake Miller (RT), Miles Frazier (RG), Seth McLaughlin (C), Christian Mahogany (LG) and Larry Borom (LT). Miller and Borom were pretty good. McLaughlin allowed one sack. Overall, not a bad showing upfront for the Lions, but penalties were an issue with that group. Frazier was called for three holding penalties, though one was certainly iffy, and Mahogany got flagged for a hold and an illegal player down field penalty.
Looking to bounce back: I didn't think it was the best outing Thursday night for TeSlaa, cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. before the injury, and guards Mahogany and Frazier. TeSlaa had two passes bounce off his hands, one leading to an interception and the other that could have kept a drive alive on fourth down. It seemed like the Bengals quarterbacks had the idea to challenge Rakestraw and completed a few passes early in his coverage area before he left with the injury. Mahogany (two) and Frazier (three) were called for a combined five penalties against them. All four players will get another opportunity next Saturday in the Lions' second preseason game when they host Washington at Ford Field.
