The Cincinnati Bengals took another tough loss in Week 12, but there were some positives to come out of their latest defeat at the hands of the 10-2 New England Patriots.
For as well as the defense played thanks in part to the contributions of practice squad vet turned starter Jalen Davis, the offense had its struggles. Much of that stemmed from Ja'Marr Chase's suspension. Joe Flacco's pick-six loomed large in a 26-20 game.
Although the Bengals' receiving corps is looking thin after Sunday's action, one unheralded pass-catcher made the most of his opportunities.
Mitchell Tinsley shines yet again & it's time for the Bengals to give him some run
Cincinnati has stuck with Andrei Iosivas as the WR3 throughout this season even as he's struggled with drops and bouts of bad play. Meanwhile, preseason hero Mitchell Tinsley has sat on the bench most of the time.
Between his breakout efforts in the exhibition phase and a key Week 2 touchdown in the win over the Jaguars, it looked like Tinsley had all the makings of a core offensive player. Instead, the Bengals have stashed him away for much of the 2025 campaign.
If Tinsley can make this clean of a release move on Patriots star Christian Gonzalez, and finish the play with an over-the-shoulder catch in the end zone, how is he not getting more snaps down the stretch?
That's a Tinsley touchdown
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) November 23, 2025
📺: #NEvsCIN on CBS/Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/TIK04eQcIf
Tinsley has that dawg in him and also made a tough fourth-down catch on the final possession to keep the Bengals' hopes of winning alive.
Whenever these eyes have seen Tinsley hit the field, all he does is produce, block hard in the run game, and wow with both his route-running ability and ball skills.
Unfortunately, Bengals receiver Tee Higgins left Sunday's game late due to a scary-looking concussion. There's no chance he'll be ready for Thanksgiving Day against the Ravens.
However many reps Zac Taylor wants to put aside for Iosivas, Mitchell Tinsley deserves more. Perhaps the plan will be to keep Iosivas in the slot while Tinsley takes Higgins' place as Cincinnati's WR2. Honestly, there's no other course of action, unless return specialist Charlie Jones gets a surprise promotion.
We could see a true Tinsley coming-out party on the holiday in Baltimore, especially if Joe Burrow is under center as expected. The Bengals have kept Tinsley under wraps for too long. Better late than never to deploy him now and prove beyond a doubt that Jermaine Burton should be waived off the roster for crying out loud!