The Detroit Lions may have lost their preseason opener Thursday night, but Ahmed Hassanein looked like a player who had absolutely no intention of wasting his opportunity.
Detroit fell 16-14 to the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium, but Hassanein delivered one of the most impressive individual performances of the night.
His final stat line jumped off the page:
4 tackles, 3 quarterback hits, 2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss and 1 forced fumble.
For a player who has been generating buzz throughout training camp, Hassanein just showed everyone that his production is not limited to Allen Park.
Hassanein Wasted No Time
Hassanein made his presence felt immediately.
On his first defensive snap, the Lions edge defender got to Bengals starting quarterback Joe Burrow for a sack.
That was only the beginning.
Hassanein later pressured veteran quarterback Joe Flacco on consecutive plays before producing his biggest moment of the night in the third quarter.
With Cincinnati threatening in the red zone, Hassanein came screaming off the edge and knocked the football out of quarterback Josh Johnson’s hand for a strip sack.
It was exactly the type of disruptive play Detroit wants to see from a young defensive lineman fighting for a significant role.
Training Camp Hype Is Translating to Games
Dan Campbell has spent much of training camp praising Hassanein’s relentless effort.
The Lions have experimented with him in the big-end role, and Campbell has repeatedly pointed to Hassanein’s motor, physicality and willingness to compete on every snap.
There was still an obvious question entering Thursday.
Would it translate when Detroit lined up against somebody other than its own offensive line?
Consider that question answered.
FOX 2’s Jennifer Hammond summed it up perfectly after Hassanein’s performance:
“Not just a practice player, Ahmed Hassanein is meeting the moment.”
He certainly did against Cincinnati.
Hassanein Is Making Detroit’s Roster Decision Easier
Before the preseason opener, Hassanein looked like one of Detroit’s biggest training camp risers.
After Thursday?
It is getting increasingly difficult to imagine the Lions leaving him off the 53-man roster.
Aidan Hutchinson and DJ Wonnum sit atop Detroit’s edge rotation, while Tyler Lacy has received significant work in the big-end role. Derrick Moore is another young player Detroit likes.
Hassanein needed to separate himself from the rest of the competition.
Two sacks, three quarterback hits and a forced fumble is one heck of a way to do it.
There are still two preseason games remaining, but Hassanein is no longer simply fighting to get noticed.
Now he may be fighting for playing time.
Bottom Line
Ahmed Hassanein entered Thursday night as one of the most intriguing players in Lions training camp.
He left Cincinnati as one of the biggest winners of Detroit’s preseason opener.
Four tackles. Three quarterback hits. Two sacks. Two tackles for loss. One forced fumble.
That is production.
More importantly, it backed up everything Dan Campbell and the Lions coaching staff have been seeing in practice.
Detroit lost the game.
Ahmed Hassanein may have won himself a job.