T.J. Houshmandzadeh will be Bengals’ Ruler of the Jungle for Wild Card game vs. Ravens

As the Cincinnati Bengals begin their quest for a second-straight trip to the Super Bowl, one of the franchise’s greats will serve as the honorary ‘Ruler of the Jungle’ Sunday when the team hosts the Baltimore Ravens for its AFC Wild Card round game.

Former Bengal wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh will be the man to lead pregame festivities in Cincinnati Sunday.

Houshmandzadeh was drafted by the Bengals in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft out of Oregon State and became a staple of the team’s offense for eight seasons from 2001-08.

In his Bengals career, he caught 507 passes ranking fourth in team history, going for 5,782 yards which ranks ninth and 37 touchdowns which ranks sixth. He broke the franchise’s single-season record for receptions in 2007 by hauling in 112 passes.

Alongside his Oregon State turned Bengals teammate Chad Johnson, Houshmandzadeh helped form one of the NFL’s most dynamic receiving duos, which helped lead the team to a 2005 AFC North division title.

Following his time in Cincinnati, Houshmandzadeh spent 2009 with the Seattle Seahawks, 2010 with the Ravens, and 2011 with the Raiders.

Sunday’s Wild Card matchup with the Ravens is slated for 8:15 pm ET, and it will be a rematch of last week’s regular season finale that saw the Bengals earn a 27-16 win to avenge a 19-17 loss to Baltimore back on Oct. 9.