Receiver Mitch Tinsley found himself in a pressure cooker late in the Cincinnati Bengals’ game against the New England Patriots, but he didn’t flinch. He aided significantly in the Bengals’ late flourish during their 26-20 loss to the Patriots.
Tinsley figures to remain in the Bengals plans, too, during a short week leading into the Thanksgiving Night game at the Baltimore Ravens with Cincinnati at risk of once again missing one of its top two receivers.
On Nov. 23 against the Patriots, through 55 minutes of game time, the Bengals’ only touchdown was provided by safety Geno Stone on a second-quarter interception he ran back for a touchdown and a 10-0 lead.
A lot changed between that moment and the five-minute mark in regulation, and Tinsley found himself thrust into a big moment.
The Bengals’ offense was out of sync and trailing 23-13. Suspended receiver Ja’Marr Chase obviously wasn’t on the field for Cincinnati, but Tee Higgins wasn’t either. He exited the field on a golf cart after snapping his head against the turf on a contested-catch play, and was later ruled out.
Even quarterback Joe Flacco was more dinged up than when the day started. Already dealing with a lingering issue in his throwing shoulder, Flacco dislocated the index finger on his throwing hand and left the field for one play.
Tinsley popped up at the 4:51 mark to grab a 17-yard touchdown catch that made the score 23-20. He beat noted cornerback Christian Gonzalez on the play to reel in the ball in Paycor Stadium’s south end zone.
“It was one-on-one. I just tried to get my best release,” Tinsley said. “Stick to my fundamentals and stick to my details as far as tracking the ball and seeing it in. … It was man coverage and Gonzalez is a great player, but I saw him, gave him a great release, stacked him, and Joe (Flacco) put the ball right where I needed it, and I just made a play.”
On the Bengals’ final drive, Tinsley acrobatically hauled in a 12-yard catch on fourth down to extend the team’s push for a score that might have won the game.
Cincinnati went on to lose, but Tinsley shone brightly in those desperate, final minutes when the Bengals were sorely missing their top two receivers.
“Yea, I thought a lot of guys stepped up. They’ve shown that we should have confidence in them,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. “I think that’s just what’s been built up over there with all the skill position players on offense as you put them in and you expect them to make a play.”
Higgins was ruled out from the final minutes of the New England loss due to being in concussion protocol, which will likely leave his availability for Thursday against the Ravens an open question for most of this week.
If called upon, Tinsley showed Nov. 23 why he’s likely to rise to be ready if called upon for the primetime game on a national holiday. After showing well in preseason, Tinsley had been starved for opportunities in 2025 and had just three catches for less than 50 yards. He had two catches for 29 yards against New England.
He was targeted six times and could be looking at a similar share of the offense against the Ravens.
“I don’t even want to say pressure,” Tinsley said. “I feel like if you let the pressure get to you, you’ll never play as good as you can.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why Mitch Tinsley’s game vs. Patriots could matter on Thanksgiving
Reporting by Pat Brennan, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
