Steady is exactly what the Jags didn’t have. They couldn’t finish it off from the 12 as wide receiver Brian Thomas dropped a curious fourth-down pass that replaced a field-goal try.
Steady won when the ball went back to Taylor and Browning. Browning channeled Burrow’s 2022 Paycor opener against the Steelers, that tying nine-play, 60-yard touchdown drive in 85 seconds that produced Chase’s six-yard touchdown catch with two seconds left.
“It allows me to be delusional and know I need to be aggressive, regardless of what just happened,” Browning said of Taylor purring into his helmet. “I think you can see sometimes when the quarterback is in and the head coach is screaming at you about turnovers, it makes it a lot harder.
“He has a good demeanor. That voice in the helmet is pretty calm at all times. It allows me to go play, without feeling that added pressure.”
Burrow and Chase may be the centerpiece of Taylor’s program, but it is guys like Browning and Tinsley who are the foundations. Self-made, selfless pros.
Browning has almost as many years on practice squads in Minnesota and Cincinnati as he does on active rosters. Two years ago, Tinsley spent his rookie year in Washington on the practice squad. Last year, he got promoted, but played in only two games.
In the locker room, Taylor let some of that serenity slip with his machine-gun praise of Tinsley’s journey.
“He exemplifies everything that we stand for as a team and as a Bengal. We define it as a physical, hungry, and an accountable teammate who is willing to do their all to get the job done,” Taylor told the media later. “I told Mitch, and I told the team just now, that he probably had the hardest battle to be in this position.”
Browning and Tinsley hooked up on touchdown passes within 20 seconds during a preseason game in Washington, and Tinsley had his roster spot. They hooked up again Sunday on a 13-yard touchdown play that tied it at 17 and pumped air back into the building on the first drive of the second half.
“If you’re wearing a Bengals uniform on Sunday, I’m going to give you a chance and go down swinging. I feel like good things happen when I throw it up to Mitch,” said Browning, who checked from run to pass. “I haven’t seen the replay yet, but I heard it was a one-hander. Happy for him, because I’ve done the practice squad grind, getting to see someone else go through it. He doesn’t talk much. He just works really hard. Good to see that.”
Tinsley, who celebrates his 26th birthday Monday, celebrated his first catch with typical reserve.