Bengals Handle the Lions 16-14 in 2026 Preseason Debut

CINCINNATI — All the stars were out for Cincinnati during the first taste of football, ahead of the start of the NFL regular season. The Bengals battled the Lions on Thursday night, pitting two teams looking to bounce back from disappointing 2025 campaigns entering this season.

Cincinnati survived a late push from Detroit to earn a 16-14 win in the Bengals opening preseason performance thanks to a stalwart effort to hold the Lions to just 196 yards of offense.

Cincinnati made a slew of moves to revamp the defense, and the potential this year's unit has showed early.

After leading Cincinnati in interceptions in 2025, Jordan Battle made his presence known with a trip drill interception of Luke Altmyer. That cleared the way for the Bengals stars on offense to take the field.

For the second straight preseason, Bengals All-Pro quarterback Joe Burrow trotted out alongside Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the opening drive of preseason action.

On Cincinnati's second offensive play from scrimmage, Burrow and Chase connect across the middle for a 16-yard strike into the soft spot of Detroit's zone defense.

On that same drive, though, Burrow would be sacked to stall the Cincinnati drive. He'd finish the day completing five of six passes for 39 yards on two offensive possessions.

Evan McPherson put Cincinnati on the board first, blasting a 56-yard field goal on the Bengals second offensive drive of the game. McPherson had a clean night, converting all three of his field goal attempts along with his lone extra point.

After the first team exited the game on offense, Joe Flacco led the Cincinnati offense into the red zone before a steady bout of rain turned the Bengals fortune. Kendall Milton collected the bad snap, but then gave it away himself just two steps later.

Luckily for the Bengals, the stream of showers had just as much of an impact on Detroit's offense. Lions rookie quarterback Luke Altmyer couldn't hold onto the ball through a handoff, and gave the ball back to Cincinnati in the red zone.

Flacco capitalized connecting with Bengals rookie Jack Endries for a four-yard touchdown to give Cincinnati a 10-0 lead. The rookie out of Texas made a good first impression, finishing the night with 25 yards on three catches and a touchdown.

Throughout the game, the Lions struggled to capitalize when they got their offense moving thanks to opportunistic plays by the Bengals. Kris Jenkins Jr. was among those who shined on Thursday, charting a sack on Joshua Dobbs. Jenkins Jr. finished his day with a team-high three solo tackles.

Up next, the Bengals host the Bears next Saturday for the second week of the preseason. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. with live coverage on LEX 18.