Bengals Week 12 Snap Counts: Mitchell Tinsley seizes more moments while practice squad staple shows his worth
Mitchell Tinsley stepped up yet again for the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Cincinnati Bengals continue to drop games as they now have as many losses as they had all last year. Sunday’s defeat to the New England Patriots was another step in the wrong direction with the postseason essentially a fairytale now with a 3-8 record.
Let’s see what the snap counts had to say about the Cincinnati’s loss to the Patriots.
Mitchell Tinsley steps in for Ja’Marr Chase
Ja’Marr Chase’s suspension paved the way for Mitchell Tinsley (48) to make his first-career start. Tinsley didn’t play the full game as both Andrei Iosivas (54) and Tee Higgins (50) were each on the field more often, but Tinsley did take the snaps when the offense rolled out 11 personnel. He caught two of his six targets for 29 yards, and both catches were immensely important. Tinsley hauled in his second touchdown of the season to give the Bengals a fighting chance at the end of the game, and his second reception of the day converted a fourth down on the final drive.
There’s no question that Cincinnati would’ve preferred to have Chase out there instead of Tinsley, but the 26-year old wideout has proved worthy of receiving opportunities when they arise. He may be called on to start again Thursday with Higgins out with a concussion.
Jalen Davis shows why he’s still around
Cam Taylor-Britt’s season-ending injury forced Dax Hill (69) to move outside at cornerback, which allowed Jalen Davis (42) to step in as the nickelback. Davis was elevated from the practice squad to play for the very first time this year, and registered Cincinnati’s lone sack on the day as a blitzer from the slot. He also contributed with a tackle for loss and a pass breakup in coverage.
Davis has been with the Bengals going all the way back to 2020. He may not be on the active roster, but weeks like this are why he’s still in the building. The short turnaround from Sunday to Thursday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens should keep Davis in the plans to play again.
Expert analysis on Bengals Week 12 snap counts vs. Patriots
- Chase Brown (58) wasn’t on track to play as many snaps as he did, but Tahj Brooks (7) suffering a concussion in the first half paved the way for another heavy workload for Cincinnati’s starting running back.
- Mike Gesicki’s (28) return from the Reserve/Injured list saw him out-snap Noah Fant (18) but Drew Sample (34) led the tight end group in usage.
- Dalton Risner (65) started at right guard instead of Jalen Rivers. Risner replaced Rivers last week due to injury, but Rivers was active this week and watched the veteran start for him anyways.
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