Friday, August 14, 2026

Lions Links for Friday Morning 8-14-26

Articles:

NOTEBOOK: Hassanein continues impressive camp with big preseason performance:  https://www.detroitlions.com/news/notebook-hassanein-continues-impressive-camp-big-preseason-performance-miller-rakestraw

RECAP: Lions at Bengals:  https://www.detroitlions.com/news/recap-lions-at-bengals-altmyer-saylors-hassanein

Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Lions CB, taken to locker room with injury:  https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2026/08/13/ennis-rakestraw-jr-lions-cb-taken-to-locker-room-with-injury/91296364007/





Winners and Losers From Lions Preseason Loss to Bengals:   https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/onsi/winners-losers-lions-preseason-loss-to-bengals

Lions Ennis Rakestraw Injury Not Believed to Be Major:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/onsi/lions-ennis-rakestraw-injury-not-believed-to-be-major

Key Takeaways From Detroit Lions Preseason Opener Against Bengals:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/onsi/key-takeaways-from-detroit-lions-preseason-opener-against-bengals

Detroit Lions Who Suited Up Against Bengals in Preseason Opener:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/onsi/detroit-lions-who-suited-up-against-bengals-in-preseason-opener




3 winners and 4 losers from the Lions’ preseason loss to the Bengals, late-round picks win the night, high picks don’t:  https://atozsports.com/nfl/detroit-lions-news/3-winners-and-4-losers-from-the-lions-preseason-loss-to-the-bengals-late-round-picks-win-the-night-high-picks-dont/

What we learned about the Lions: One player stole the show and roster spot while two highly picked players raised serious concerns:  https://atozsports.com/nfl/detroit-lions-news/what-we-learned-about-the-lions-one-player-stole-the-show-and-roster-spot-while-two-highly-picked-players-raised-serious-concerns/

NFL preseason Week 1 takeaways: Mendoza debuts for Raiders; Allar shines for Steelers (Lions: After the sudden retirement of veteran QB Teddy Bridgewater during training camp, all eyes turned to rookie Luke Altmyer, who got the start in his preseason debut.  Altmyer, an undrafted free agent out of Illinois, went 13-for-21 for 130 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in a solid performance.  The Lions also signed backup QB Joshua Dobbs to a one-year deal earlier this week, in the wake of Bridgewater's retirement, as the backup returns for a second stint in Detroit. Dobbs entered the game in the second quarter, splitting snaps with Altmyer in the first half, and ended with 32 passing yards. He completed 4 of 8 attempts as the two compete for the QB2 spot behind Jared Goff.  Blake Miller, the 17th pick of the draft, also made his debut, starting at right tackle, where he got off to a strong start this preseason. -- Eric Woodyard.  Next game: vs. Washington Commanders (Aug. 22, noon ET):  https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/49600984/2026-nfl-preseason-week-1-takeaways-analysis

Joe Burrow starts and backup Joe Flacco throws a TD pass as Bengals beat Lions 16-14:  https://www.espn.com/nfl/recap/_/gameId/401873272

2026 NFL Preseason, Week 1: What We Learned from Thursday's games (First look at Bengals under center. The under-center play-action game the Bengals offense wanted to employ more in 2026 struggled early in training camp. The first-team crew smoothed out that operation in the first preseason game. Joe Burrow’s first pass was a play-action strike from under center to Ja'Marr Chase for 16 yards. Over two drives, Burrow was under center on seven of 13 snaps, including going 2-of-2 passing for 25 yards. Cincy is hoping to employ more under-center usage, particularly in the play-action game, to make the offense more diverse this season. Given how the adjustment was going early in camp, it’s good to see positive results in the preseason. The negative: Burrow was smoked twice, taking a sack on the opening drive and being hit hard after left tackle Orlando Brown allowed a quick pressure.  TeSlaa still driving struggle bus. Isaac TeSlaa’s sluggish training camp continued into the first preseason game. The second-year wideout entered 2026 expecting a burgeoning role in the Lions' offense. Thus far, things have not gone as planned. Not only was TeSlaa playing with the backups, but Thursday night went about as poorly as it could have. His first target sailed through the wideout's hands and caromed off his helmet for an interception that killed a promising first drive. Two possessions later, TeSlaa had another perfect ball from Luke Altmyer go right through his mitts on a fourth down. For the night, TeSlaa caught zero passes on three targets while running 11 routes. The second-year WR has significant strides to make to be a notable part of this offense in 2026.

2026 NFL Preseason Week 1 Recap: Immediate fantasy football takeaways from Thursday's games (The Detroit Lions reworked their wide receiver room: The Lions' backup wide receiver room looks very different from last season.  Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams are locked in as the top two wide receivers on the Lions' depth chart, and they were both among the starters who didn’t play in this game. Last season, Isaac TeSlaa, Kalif Raymond, Tom Kennedy, Dominic Lovett and Jackson Meeks were the top backups. Raymond is now with the Chicago Bears, while free agent addition Greg Dortch was expected to take his place. The Lions added to that depth by adding veteran Cedrick Wilson in May after not adding to the room in the draft.  It was no surprise that TeSlaa was one of the primary receivers for this game, but Wilson appears to have overtaken all of the other backups, as he played all 15 snaps on the first three drives. Detroit used 11 personnel for all 15 snaps and deployed a rotation of Dortch and Meeks for the third spot. Both Wilson and Dortch stopped playing at the end of the first quarter, making it seem like their roster spots are secure. TeSlaa played on the first drive of the second quarter, which was odd considering he’s the favorite for the third spot, and two other receivers already stopped playing. Kennedy and Levett, who were two of the top backups last season, didn’t suit up until the middle of the second quarter, suggesting their roster spots are in jeopardy.  While TeSlaa is still the clear favorite for the third receiving spot, the fact that he played so much in this game while other starters didn’t suggests his role isn’t as locked in as it could be.  Miscellaneous Notes  Detroit didn’t play most of its starters, including quarterback Jared Goff, running back Jahmyr Gibbs, wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams and tight ends Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright.  The Lions were without running back Isiah Pacheco with an MCL sprain, but he is expected to be ready for the start of the season. Projected third-string running back Sione Vaki suffered a broken nose and eye injury a week ago, which has held him out of practice.):  https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-preseason-2026-week-1-recap-immediate-takeaways-from-thursdays-games

2026 NFL Preseason Week 1 Standouts: Drew Allar, Kaden Wetjen, and Five More Risers (Ahmed Hassanein, EDGE, Detroit Lions - Boise State alum Ahmed Hassanein has quite the interesting backstory. Born in America, he moved to Cairo, Egypt to live with his father at age six. Hassanein didn’t start playing football until 2018, when he moved back to the United States, and his brother (a football coach) got him into it.  Despite the lack of experience, Hassanein amassed 27 sacks and 133 total pressures in four collegiate seasons, which led the Lions to select him with the 196th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2025 draft. That looked to be a bargain until Hassanein suffered a season-ending torn pectoral in his first preseason.  So, Thursday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals was Hassanein’s first chance to prove himself after all that. Two sacks, a forced fumble, and two quarterback hits later, I’d say that Mr. Hassanein proved his point.  It was a big night for the second-year man… for all the right reasons.):  https://athlonsports.com/nfl/nfl-preseason-week-1-standouts-2026-drew-allar-dezhaun-stribling

Rookie Lions QB Luke Altmyer Gets Strong Prediction After Preseason Debut:  https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/rookie-lions-qb-luke-altmyer-063001068.html

6 Lions Players Whose Stock Rose or Fell Following Preseason Loss to Bengals:  https://athlonsports.com/nfl/detroit-lions/6-lions-players-whose-stock-rose-or-fell-following-preseason-loss-to-bengals


Video:






Lions vs. Bengals highlights | Preseason Week 1:  https://www.nfl.com/videos/lions-vs-bengals-highlights-preseason-week-1


Luke Altmyer keeps it himself to bring Lions within 2 points:  https://www.nfl.com/videos/luke-altmyer-keeps-it-himself-to-bring-lions-within-2-points


Jacob Saylors breaks into the clear for 27-yard gain inside Cincy territory:  https://www.detroitlions.com/video/highlight-saylors-breaks-into-the-clear-for-27-yard-gain-inside-cincy-territory

Luke Altmyer's 23-yard strike pinpoints Cedrick Wilson Jr. inside Bengals' territory:  https://www.nfl.com/videos/luke-altmyer-s-23-yard-strike-pinpoints-cedrick-wilson-jr-inside-bengals-territory



HIGHLIGHT: Hassanein corrals Burrow for Lions' first sack of 2026 preseason:  https://www.detroitlions.com/video/highlight-hassanein-corrals-burrow-for-lions-first-sack-of-2026-preseason
Posted by LionsFan at 4:48 AM

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