3 overreactions after Lions vs. Bengals NFL preseason opener

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The Detroit Lions' preseason opener is in the books.

After seven months without football, the Lions returned to fans' living rooms and to their TV screens during Thursday night's NFL preseason opener at the Cincinnati Bengals from Paycor Stadium.

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The Bengals scored the game's first 10 points and then hung on late for a 16-14 win over the Lions. With one preseason contest under our belts, here's a look at three rapid overreactions:

The Ahmed Hassanein training camp hype is real

One of the consistent defensive standouts throughout Lions training camp has been EDGE Ahmed Hassanein. After being drafted in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Lions, Hassanein suffered a pectoral tear and was waived with an injury settlement during last season's training camp.

The Lions would sign Hassanein back to its practice squad in November of 2025 and then to a Reserve/Future contract in January.

On Thursday night, Hassanein backed up the hype surrounding his position switch from rush end to the big end in Kelvin Sheppard's defense.

Hassanein sacked Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow on Cincinnati's opening drive and then added a strip-sack fumble of Josh Johnson during the third quarter.

Isaac TeSlaa isn't going to make the second-season leap fans want

It's one preseason game, so there's no honest reason to truly sound the alarm bells. But, hey, this post is an overreactions post, right?

Isaac TeSlaa had a rough start to the preseason. On the Lions' first drive, a TeSlaa drop popped Luke Altmyer's pass up into the air and it turned into an interception for Bengals safety Jordan Battle. Bengals cornerback DJ Ivey also broke up a fourth-down pass from Altmyer intended for TeSlaa.

There's great anticipation for TeSlaa to form one of the league's top wide receiver trios alongside superstars Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. But, there's still a long way for TeSlaa to go after a rookie campaign that featured 16 catches for 239 yards and six touchdowns.

Ennis Rakestraw Jr. can't stay healthy

Unfortunately, the biggest development of the night was third-year pro Ennis Rakestraw Jr. exiting with injury.

After making a tackle on Bengals running back Tahj Brooks, Rakestraw stayed down on the Paycor Stadium playing surface. Rakestraw would exit the game under his own power, but he was favoring his left arm.

The 5-foot-11, 192-pound corner would then head into the Lions' blue tent and ultimately to Detroit's locker room with the training staff alongside.

Rakestraw hasn't been able to stay healthy throughout his short career thus far. A second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Rakestraw was limited to eight games during his rookie campaign with a hamstring injury. Then, he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery last year during training camp.

The hope throughout the offseason was that Rakestraw's strength and conditioning work could help to improve his health entering the 2026 NFL season.

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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: 3 overreactions after Lions vs. Bengals NFL preseason opener

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