LANDOVER, Md. _ The Bengals overcame the Commanders' long runs against their No. 1 defense on the game's first two drives with interceptions by safety Tycen Anderson and rookie linebacker Barrett Carter that set up heroics by their backup wide receivers in a 31-17 victory over Washington at Northwest Stadium.

Bengals No. 1 quarterback Joe Burrow engineered two more touchdown drives (giving him four out of five in the preseason's first two games), capping it with a four-yard touchdown pass to backup wide receiver Charlie Jones after the pair kept the drive going with a 13-yard slant on fourth-and-three.

Jones has made the team. Now, so may another backup receiver.

Within 20 seconds in the last minute of the first half, Mitchell Tinsley caught touchdown catches of 13 and 21 yards to give the Bengals a 28-14 lead at the break.

NOTES

Burrow's Dart to Jones Knots it Up

Burrow showed off his world-class accuracy on his final pass of the night, as he threaded the needle between two Commanders defensive backs to hit Jones for a four-yard touchdown early in the second quarter.

The touchdown capped off an eventful 12-play, 70-yard drive that featured a pair of third-down conversions as well as a fourth-down pickup. Jones came up with the catch on fourth down, turning a quick slant into a 13-yard gain.

Tinsley's Spectacular Drive Ends with Touchdown

Cincinnati's second-team offense put together a six-play, 60-yard scoring drive to take a 21-14 lead, and the effort was spearheaded by former Commander Tinsley. The receiver caught each of his three targets from Jake Browning for 40 yards, capped off by a spinning back-shoulder grab for a 13-yard touchdown.

Tinsley's first reception on the drive was a 23-yarder near the Washington sideline. On the following play, he impressively came down with a tipped ball as the first half clock ticked under a minute remaining.

A college free agent signee of Washington in 2023, Tinsley played in two games for the Commanders in his rookie season and did not record any statistics. He spent the 2024 campaign on Washington's practice squad, then signed a Reserve/Future contract with the Bengals this past February.

Carter's INT Sets Up Tinsley's Second

Fourth-round draft pick Barrett Carter stepped in front of a Sam Hartman throw with under 30 seconds left in the first half and returned his pick 13 yards to set up the Bengals' offense at the Washington 21. Browning took advantage of the takeaway on the ensuing snap, as he took a shot to the end zone that Tinsley high-pointed for his second touchdown in a span of 20 seconds.

Tinsley is the second Bengal this preseason with a multi-touchdown effort, as tight end Tanner Hudson had two scoring grabs last Thursday at Philadelphia. Prior to Hudson, the last Cincinnati player with multiple touchdowns from scrimmage in a preseason game was halfback Cedric Peerman on Aug. 10, 2010 against the Eagles (one rushing, one receiving).

Carter had three interceptions and 21 pass breakups during his four-year collegiate career at Clemson (2021-24).

Brown Opens Scoring on Fourth-and-Goal

The Bengals elected to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the Commanders' one-yard line on the game's opening drive, and that decision was rewarded when running back Chase Brown fought through a tackle to break the plane.

Cincinnati's opening possession officially went in as nine plays covering 58 yards. The offense took advantage of two Commanders penalties, as Washington jumped into the neutral zone ahead of the snap on a fourth down at the Bengals' 49-yard line, then two plays later Ja’Marr Chase drew a pass interference to set up first-and-goal.

Brown totaled 16 yards on five carries during the drive, while Burrow completed two of four passing attempts for 12 yards.

Anderson Makes Start, Gets Pick in Second Quarter

Tycen Anderson started at safety and played the bulk of defensive snaps through the first three quarters. He came up with the game's first takeaway midway through the second quarter, when he intercepted a deep pass thrown by Commanders quarterback Josh Johnson. The pick ended a drive that reached Cincinnati's 30-yard line.

Anderson now has three interceptions in his preseason career. He had two picks in the 2023 preseason opener against Green Bay, including a 43-yard pick-six.

Extra Points

• Cornerback Dax Hill played in his first game since suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 5 of last year.
• Kicker Evan McPherson drilled a 54-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to boost Cincinnati's lead to 31-17. McPherson now is 26-for-28 on field goal attempts in his preseason career, including 11-for-13 from 50 or more yards.

QUOTES

"That was something (Joe Burrow) had talked about with me. Getting Ja'Marr (Chase) and Tee (Higgins) out of there, and working with some of the guys that, you never know, at some point in the season you've got to work with them. We've got different roles for all those guys and I thought those guys stepped up well and supported him. They looked pretty good on that touchdown drive there on that third drive." - Head coach Zac Taylor, on Joe Burrow conducting a drive without his top receivers

"He just works hard, and he's become a guy that everybody really respects in the locker room. He just goes out there and works, and we respect that. Again, he created the opportunities for himself. He's done enough in practice to where we wanted to put him in the positions to be at the point of attack when he was in the game there. He rewarded himself with touchdowns, catches and extending drives. He's someone that's reliable for the quarterbacks and all of us. I'm proud of him. This (Washington) is the last team he was with, so probably a neat situation for him to come back on this field and do what he just did." - Head coach Zac Taylor, on wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley's performance in training camp and against the Commanders

"Some good learning experiences in the couple of drives that we've had. We got some fumbles out of the way, so that was good. Those are just incredibly valuable reps that usually you work out those kinks in the first couple weeks of the regular season, and we've worked them out the last two weeks." - Quarterback Joe Burrow, on the first-team offense's performance through two preseason games