Free Press sports writer Rainer Sabin highlights the best and worst performances from the Detroit Lions 16-14 loss in the preseason opener Thursday, Aug. 13, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.
Winners
EDGE Ahmed Hassanein
Throughout training camp, Hassanein’s stock has been on the rise. In practice, the spirited former sixth-round pick has routinely made his presence felt. He did so again Thursday in the team’s preseason opener. On Cincinnati’s first possession, he beat right guard Dalton Risner and dropped Joe Burrow for a 9-yard loss.
Then, early in the second half, he poked the ball out of Josh Johnson’s hand, forcing a fumble. Hassanein was credited with his second sack of the game. In between those two plays, he pressured Joe Flacco to commit an intentional grounding penalty
early in the second quarter. The constant havoc Hassanein created was impressive. If the final roster were set today, there is little doubt he’d be on it.
RB Jacob Saylors
The third running back position appears to be up for grabs and Saylors made a convincing case Thursday he deserves it. He netted a team-high 83 yards from scrimmage – 55 on the ground and 28 more through the air. Saylors’ big highlight came in the second quarter when he surged through a hole, shed linebacker Shaka Heyward, sidestepped multiple defenders and raced ahead for a 27-yard gain.
“He's got some speed,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said Monday. “He's pretty electric.”
Saylors is also versatile. He showed that on Thursday, tying for the team lead in catches (3) and receiving yards (28). With running backs Jahmyr Gibbs, Isiah Pacheco, Jabari Small and Sione Vaki not in uniform, Saylors took advantage of the extra snaps he was given.
Losers
WR Isaac TeSlaa
Last year, Isaac TeSlaa was one of the stars of the Lions’ preseason, racking up 10 catches, 176 receiving yards and three touchdowns. But on Thursday, in the team’s first exhibition game of 2026, TeSlaa turned in a dud of a performance. On the fifth play from scrimmage, a well-placed throw from Luke Altmyer went through TeSlaa's hands, caromed off his helmet and was plucked out of the air by Bengals safety Jordan Battle for an interception. Not long thereafter, with Detroit facing fourth-and-3 on its third possession, TeSlaa dropped a slant pass and the Lions turned the ball over on downs at Cincinnati’s 29-yard line. Were the wet conditions to blame for TeSlaa's blunders? Maybe. Maybe not. Heading into the game, TeSlaa encountered his share of struggles during training camp. There was hope he’d soon recover his form. But that didn’t happen Thursday.
CB Ennis Rakestraw, Jr.
The first two years of Rakestraw’s NFL career have been derailed by injuries. Since he was drafted in the second round in 2024, the cornerback has logged only 46 defensive snaps in the regular season. A pulled hamstring disrupted his rookie campaign. Then, he missed all of 2025 after undergoing shoulder surgery last August. Entering Year 3, he was determined to prove he could stay on the field.
But on Thursday, he was forced to leave the game early in the second quarter following a collision with Cincinnati running back Tahj Brooks, who slammed into Rakestraw’s left arm as he was being tackled. Just before Rakestraw was hurt, he had yielded a series of completions, exhibiting some of the same vulnerabilities in coverage he has displayed throughout a training camp that, Campbell said, has been marked by “some ups and downs.” The takeaway from that lukewarm assessment of Rakestraw was that he needed to show something Thursday. But instead he reinforced the perception that he just isn’t durable, even if Campbell said after the game Rakestraw's latest injury is "not major."
OL Miles Frazier
No one had the chance to see Frazier play last preseason after a knee injury kept the 2025 draft pick sidelined for the entire summer and most of the fall. Maybe that was for the best. On Thursday, he had a lousy showing. Starting at right guard, Frazier committed three holding penalties during the first half, including two in a span of three plays late in the second quarter. Frazier drew his first flag after defensive tackle Landon Robinson beat him to the inside. With some help from center Seth McLaughlin, he wrangled Robinson and caught the attention of the officials. The infraction pushed the Lions back inside their own 10-yard line.
When Frazier moved to left tackle in the second half, things didn’t get much better. Early in the fourth quarter, defensive end Isaiah Foskey surged past Frazier and forced Altmyer into the teeth of the pass rush. Seconds later, Altmyer went down for a 12-yard loss.
Frazier’s repeated mishaps helped take the spotlight away from left guard Christian Mahogany, who also incurred multiple penalties and turned in an iffy performance.
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin on X.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Isaac TeSlaa big loser in Lions' preseason loss to Bengals
