RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Detroit fought hard, but they were unable to complete the comeback against the Cincinnati Bengals. After the first half, Detroit trailed 10-6 and had two drives that seemed like they would result in points. One ended in an interception, while another ended with a Josh Dobbs sack that knocked the Lions out of field-goal range.
To begin the second half, the Bengals started with the ball but quickly went three-and-out. Luke Altmyer returned at quarterback, and Detroit answered the favor, also going three-and-out after Altmyer threw two incompletions.
Following a decent Bengals punt return, Cincinnati took over at its own 47-yard line and marched down the field to the Detroit 7-yard line. Ahmad Hassanein continued his excellent play with a strip-sack that resulted in a 9-yard loss and forced Cincinnati to settle for another field goal, extending its lead to 13-6.
Detroit got the ball back with just under seven minutes left in the third quarter. After two short passes to fourth-string tight end Zach Horton, Raheem Blackshear got things going with a 24-yard run all the way to Cincinnati’s 45-yard line. Unfortunately, on third-and-eight, backup center Michael Niese delivered a bad snap on third down, forcing the Lions to recover the ball at the 50-yard line and eventually punt.
Cincinnati would begin to march down the field again, with 12- and 17-yard passes that Ennis Rakestraw allowed helping the Bengals move into Detroit territory. Cincinnati continued to dink and dunk its way down to the Detroit 29-yard line.
On third-and-five, veteran quarterback Josh Johnson scrambled and was chased down by Skyler Gill-Howard, who showed a great deal of speed and pursuit on a play that initially looked like it would result in a first down. The Bengals settled for a 41-yard field goal, pushing their lead to 16-6.
Detroit didn’t do much with the ball on its next possession, but Altmyer did hit Tarik Black for a 35-yard gain. Unfortunately, a flag was thrown for offensive pass interference, negating the play.
Cincinnati got the ball back at its own 29-yard line, and after a five-play, 16-yard drive, the Bengals punted the ball back to Detroit with just over four minutes left to play.
Finally, the offense started to click.
Kyle Robichaux piled up 23 rushing yards on three consecutive attempts to get the drive going. Altmyer then went 4-for-5 through the air, eventually ending the drive with a 24-yard touchdown catch-and-run by Black.
Detroit decided to go for two, and Altmyer converted it himself on a read-option, keeping the ball and cutting the Bengals’ lead to 16-14 with just 1:28 left to play.
After a quick three-and-out by Cincinnati, Detroit had one final opportunity to drive down the field and give Jake Bates a chance at a game-winning field goal.
Unfortunately, on the first play of the drive, Altmyer threw an interception on a pass intended for Dominic Lovett. The pass was slightly overthrown, ending Detroit’s comeback attempt.
That one stings, especially because it could have given Bates an opportunity to attempt a game-winning field goal from around 60 yards or longer.
Despite some ups and downs, Detroit hung in there and fought until the very end. Hassanein was the true standout on defense, and his impact continued into the second half after an impressive first half.
The Lions ultimately held the Bengals to just one touchdown, which came off a fumble recovery inside the Detroit 10-yard line in the second quarter. Outside of that, Cincinnati scored only three field goals.
The new 4-2-5 defensive scheme also appeared to work well, particularly against Cincinnati’s passing attack. While there is plenty to clean up, Detroit showed some encouraging signs in its preseason opener and remained competitive until the final whistle.
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