In the Wild Card Round of the 2023 NFL Playoffs, the Cincinnati Bengals will play the Baltimore Ravens. With a 12-4 record and the AFC North title, the Bengals earned the No. 3 seed. The Ravens, meanwhile, finished as the No. 6 seed. This wild card game will be a rematch of Week 18 when the Bengals defeated the Ravens 27-16 in Cincinnati. For the first round of the playoffs, they will return to Paycor Stadium. We anticipate that quarterback Lamar Jackson will play after missing several weeks due to a knee injury. Take note, however, that earlier in the year, the Ravens also defeated the Bengals, 19-17. That said, let's look at our Bengals 2023 NFL Playoffs predictions after their Week 18 win.
Cincinnati struggled early in the season, losing three of their first five games, but finished the year with eight straight victories to win the division and move up to third place. This year, they split their matches with the Ravens, Steelers, and Browns. Another outstanding season was put together by Joe Burrow and his talented receivers.
This season, the Ravens had a winning record, but they weren't able to pull together two victories until late October. Lamar Jackson's injury hindered their offensive potential toward the conclusion of the season, which caused them to finish behind the Los Angeles Chargers for the sixth seed.
The Bengals have won the AFC North. Cincinnati will enter the AFC Playoffs as the favorite against Baltimore. However, remember that Jackson should return, along with a few other key players for the Ravens. That would significantly alter how that Wild Card Round matchup will compare to this Week 18 showdown. Additionally, the health of offensive lineman Alex Cappa will need to be monitored by the Bengals. He exited the game with what seemed to be a very severe leg injury during the second half.
With all these in mind, here are our four bold 2023 NFL Playoffs predictions for the Bengals after their Week 18 win.
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4. Ja'Marr Chase should find his rhythm again
During this Week 18 game against Baltimore, star Cincinnati WR Ja'Marr Chase had a strong performance. He finished with eight receptions on 13 targets for a total of 86 yards and a touchdown. He has consistently received a high number of targets in recent games, with a total of 10 or more in the past four games.
Chase also had several notable plays during the game, including a 26-yard touchdown catch and gains of 20 and 17 yards. In addition to these big plays, he also contributed to the offense as a check-down option for the quarterback. In fact, he had shorter gains of 10 and 9 yards.
Keep in mind that despite being injured for a portion of the season, Chase still managed to surpass 1,000 receiving yards and score 9 touchdowns. Of course, his continued success will be important for the team's playoff hopes. On a day when the offense struggled to find its rhythm, Chase stood out as a standout player and made a significant impact on the game. We expect he'll put up 90+ yards in the Wild Card Round against the Ravens.
3. Joe Burrow remains dangerous
Hyped-up Bengals QB Joe Burrow attempted 42 passes and completed 25 of them for 215 yards in Week 18. He also had one touchdown and no interceptions in their big win over the Ravens. He also had three rushes for 10 yards. This marked the second consecutive game in which he attempted over 40 passes.
Although his efficiency was somewhat lower, with an average of 5.1 yards per attempt, Burrow did complete four passes of 20 or more yards. This included a 26-yard touchdown pass to Chase.
There is a caveat, though. While the offense scored 20 points, they could have scored more if not for missed throws by Burrow and the need to settle for field goals in the red zone.
Despite that, Burrow remains one of the most dangerous QBs remaining. The Ravens will try to make life tough for him again in the Wild Card round, but we expect Burrow to play smarter. We have him going over 290+ yards with three touchdowns. He surely won't be short of confidence.
King of the North. pic.twitter.com/92xFFqyDfA
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) January 8, 2023
2. Bengals beat the Ravens in the Wild Card Round
The Bengals' defense played a key role in their victory in Week 18. To wit, back-to-back interceptions by Jessie Bates and Mike Hilton set up the team's first two touchdowns. Later in the first half, Trey Hendrickson forced a strip sack that was recovered by Joseph Ossai for a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, Bates and Cam Taylor-Britt were involved in a forced fumble that was recovered by Vonn Bell. These helped secure the win.
On the other end, while the offense struggled somewhat during the game, they were still able to score 20 points. This suggests that the offensive issues that arose during the game do not cause for concern moving forward.
We feel a big bounce-back effort from the offense will happen in the Wild Card Round. Burrow & Co. will shred Baltimore's defense. Meanwhile, the Bengals defense should make life extra tough for the returning Lamar Jackson. As such, we have the Bengals comfortably beating the Ravens in their wild card rematch.
1. Bengals fall short in the Divisional Round
Things will be different in the divisional round for the Bengals, though. If teams stay true to form, the Bengals will face no less than Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in the next round.
Keep in mind that Week 17 was supposed to be the first meeting between Allen and Burrow. However, that game was officially canceled already. Now, their first true meeting will be in the postseason with so much at stake.
Allen and Burrow's matchup here ought to be a high-scoring contest. We have both QBs putting up around 300+ total yards each and at least two touchdowns apiece, too. Still, we expect the Bills defense to hold up just a tad better. Things will be much tougher for Burrow as a result, and Allen will lead the Bills to the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
This would be a sad ending for the Bengals' campaign, but they should still be among the AFC's top teams next season.
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