Hill's Early TD Helps Bengals To 30-14 Win Over Lions
NOAH TRISTER, AP Sports Writer
DETROIT (AP) — Jeremy Hill ran for a 9-yard touchdown on Cincinnati's first possession, and the Bengals went on to a 30-14 victory over the Detroit Lions on Thursday night.
Hill hurt his left hand in Cincinnati's preseason opener last week, but he had three carries for 16 yards against the Lions and also caught a pass.
Former Cincinnati wide receiver Marvin Jones, signed by the Lions in the offseason, had four catches for 65 yards against his former team. Detroit's Matthew Stafford was 8 of 11 for 113 yards, but the Lions went without a touchdown until the final minute of the game.
Cincinnati's Derron Smith returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.
Andy Dalton was 7 of 9 for 78 yards for the Bengals.
ROOKIES
Bengals: WR Tyler Boyd continues to impress. After a 40-yard catch in last week's game, he made a nice diving grab of Dalton's pass for a 26-yard gain on Cincinnati's first possession. Boyd later caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from AJ McCarron with 12 seconds left in the first half.
Lions: TE Cole Wick was beaten by a pass rusher in the first quarter on a play in which Stafford was hit and fumbled, but he also had two catches for 26 yards.
INJURY UPDATE
Bengals: T Jake Fisher walked off slowly in the first half with a right leg injury. He took over at RT after Cedric Ogbuehi injured his toe last week, so now Cincinnati's depth could be tested even further.
Lions: The absences of TE Eric Ebron and LB DeAndre Levy weren't huge surprises, and Detroit didn't appear to have any major health issues among those who played.
POSITON BATTLES
Bengals: Mike Nugent missed a field goal on the opening drive last week against Minnesota, and he missed an extra point and a field goal against Detroit. There was no real competition for his job, but if he falls into an extended slump, perhaps there could be. Nugent did make a 50-yard kick in the fourth quarter.
Lions: There's some uncertainty at the backup quarterback spot, with Dan Orlovsky doing little to inspire confidence when his interception was returned for a touchdown. Rookie Jake Rudock received a nice hand when he came on in the fourth quarter, but the University of Michigan product was also intercepted on just his third pass attempt.
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