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Report: “Strong chance” Lamar Jackson plays in Wild Card round

This could impact the Bengals.

NFL: Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens The Enquirer-USA TODAY Sports

The Cincinnati Bengals don’t yet know who or where they will play in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, but they know they will be playing.

One of the teams they could face off with in the first round is the division rival Baltimore Ravens. There is a good chance Cincinnati and Baltimore face off in back to back weeks, which means the status of Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson becomes all the more important.

Jackson hasn’t played or practiced in over a month, after a PCL injury that many thought he would be recovered from by now. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, there is a “strong chance” Jackson is good to go for the postseason.

There have been conflicting reports, though as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport has said others aren’t as sure about that.

No matter how you look at it, a divisional opponent in back to back weeks is always something to keep an eye on. The Bengals are a better team than the Ravens, with or without Jackson, so I doubt anyone in the locker room is losing sleep. With that said, the degree of difficulty in that potential matchup is higher with Jackson on the field.