Photos and story by: Aaron J. Thornton
The Detroit Lions opened their 2026 preseason with a narrow 16-14 away loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday, August 13. Playing in rainy conditions at Cincinnati’s Paycor Stadium, Detroit’s reserves kept the game competitive against a Cincinnati lineup that featured several starters for limited action.
One bright spot for Detroit was defensive end Ahmed Hassanein, who recorded two sacks, including a sack of quarterback Joe Burrow on his first defensive snap. Rookie quarterback Luke Altmyer, out of the University of Illinois, also showed flashes, throwing for 130 yards and a touchdown while leading a late 80-yard scoring drive that pulled the Lions within two points.
Detroit’s comeback attempt ultimately fell short when Altmyer threw an interception in the final minutes. Despite the loss, the preseason opener gave coaches valuable opportunities to evaluate young players and roster competition ahead of the regular season.
During Saturday’s presser at the team’s practice facility in Allen Park, MI, Head Coach Dan Campbell had several praises about his team. He specifically mentioned guys like Blake Miller, Keith Abney, and Chris Smith working their tails off and doing a good job at their positions.
Campbell spoke about the players learning, growing, and getting better overall. In the eyes of the coaching staff, they are just trying to find what guys do well.
The Lions will practice through the week before their second and only home preseason game this Saturday against the Washington Commanders at Ford Field.
