Cincinnati — Blame it on the rain, if you must, but Thursday’s preseason opener between the Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals was a sloppy affair, regardless of the first-half precipitation.
Detroit didn’t find the end zone until the closing minutes of the fourth quarter and turned it over three times in the 16-14 loss to Cincinnati.
The Bengals, who played their starters against a Lions squad that rested nearly all of their key pieces, scored first with and opening-quarter field goal and never relinquished the lead.
Here’s a quick recap of the action:
Starters
Offense: Luke Altmyer, Jacob Saylors, Isaac TeSlaa, Cedrick Wilson, Jackson Meeks, Tyler Conklin, Larry Borom, Christian Mahogany, Seth McLaughlin, Miles Frazier, Blake Miller
Defense: Anthony Lucas, Tyler Lacy, Chris Smith, Levi Onwuzurike, Devin White, Joe Bachie, Trevor Nowaske, Chuck Clark, Thomas Harper, Ennis Rakestraw and Nick Whiteside
Scoring summary
First quarter
● 3:42 — Beginning at their own 30-yard line, the Bengals’ starting offense picked up a pair of first downs before stalling. Lions rookie edge defender Eric O’Neill got a lick on quarterback Joe Burrow on a third-and-4 snap, leaving Cincinnati to settle for a 56-yard Evan McPherson field goal. BENGALS 3, LIONS 0
Second quarter
● 9:35 — Two snaps after recovering a fumble deep in Detroit territory, no one picked up Bengals tight end Jack Endries as he reversed his motion on a play-action snap. Quarterback Joe Flacco made the easy flip to the open man after the fake handoff for the 4-yard touchdowns. BENGALS 10, LIONS 0
● 0:34 — A clunky, nine-play 41-yard drive, fueled by a 27-yard Saylors’ romp, ended with a 41-yard Jake Bates field goal. BENGALS 10, LIONS 3
● 0:00 — Detroit’s defense took over on downs with seven seconds remaining in the half after defensive tackle Skyler Gill-Howard forced an intentional grounding on fourth-and-7 near midfield. The Lions got a little closer with a 9-yard Saylors run, setting up a 52-yard boot for Bates as time expired. BENGALS 10, LIONS 6
Third quarter
● 6:55 — The Bengals converted a pair of third-and-longs, but on third-and-5 from Detroit’s 7-yard line, Ahmed Hassanein got the edge for a second sack, quelling the threat. McPherson knocked home a 33-yard field goal to push the lead back to a touchdown. BENGALS 13, LIONS 6
Fourth quarter
● 10:31 — A 14-play drive that started at their own 12-yard line and had three third-down conversions still ended in a McPherson field goal, this time from 41 yards. BENGALS 16, LIONS 6
● 1:28 — Capping a 12-play, 80-yard drive, Altmyer found Tarik Black on a shallow crossing pattern and the receiver found open space down the right sideline for a 24-yard score. Altmyer ran in a 2-point conversion to slice the lead to two, but Detroit couldn’t recover the ensuing onside kick. BENGALS 16, LIONS 14
Turnovers
● First quarter, 12:44: A slant intended for TeSlaa went through the receiver’s hands and hit him in the face. The deflected ball popped into the air where it was intercepted by Bengals safety Jordan Battle.
● Second quarter, 10:37 — Running up the middle of his offensive line, Bengals running back Kendall Milton stumbled and dropped the ball. That fumble was scooped up by Lions nickel corner Keith Abney.
● Second quarter, 10:21 — Two snaps after Abney’s recovery, there was a botched handoff between Altmyer and Saylors, resulting in Bengals edge defender Cassius Howell jumping on the loose ball at Detroit's 7-yard line.
● Fourth quarter, 0:16 — On the first play of a last-gasp drive, Altmyer overshot Dominic Lovett and was intercepted by safety Russ yeast.
Key stats
● Playing most of the game, Altmyer completed 13-of-22 for 130 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He was also assessed with losing a fumble. Josh Dobbs, who played two series in the first half, completed four-of-eight for 32 yards and chipped in a 9-yard scramble.
● Saylors paced the offense, racking up 83 yards from scrimmage with eight carries and a trio of receptions.
● Dominic Lovett was the only other Lions player with more than two catches, hauling in three balls on eight targets for 29 yards.
● Defensive backs Aamaris Brown, Rakestraw and Abney each tallied five tackles.
Injuries
● Rakestraw left with an unknown injury in the second quarter. He took a friendly fire shot from linebacker Devin White, which left the corner’s arm hanging limp. A couple snaps later, Rakestraw stayed down after making an open-field tackle, went to the locker room and didn’t return.
● Defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo and safety Loren Strickland also exited with injury.
Next game
Detroit continues the preseason at Ford Field next Saturday at noon against the Washington Commanders.
I won’t waste my breath by telling others not to read too much into preseason football.
The Lions looked, well, like the Lions. On a brighter note, our pal Mr. Arnold is signing with the Seahawks. He could be put on the "no play list" by the commissioner, spend the entire season as a Seahawk (attending meetings, practices) but not playing, and walk away with a SB ring if the birds win it all again.