The Crows are excited to visit the Bengals this weekend

The Ravens will face another crack at the Bengals in the playoffs, and they’re embracing it.

Baltimore will visit Cincinnati this Wild Card weekend, Sunday night at 8:15 p.m. EST (NBC). The AFC North’s Ravens-Bengals game beat the list of football’s best on Sunday night.

Cincinnati’s 27-16 victory over the Ravens (10-7) puts Baltimore as the No. 6 seed. Cincinnati (11-5) is the No. 3 seed and will once again host Baltimore at Paycor Stadium, setting up an intriguing postseason rematch between the AFC North rivals . The teams split regular season games, with each team winning at home.

When they meet again at Wild-Card weekend, the stakes will be much higher, with the winner advancing and going home. Pro Bowl finalist Marlon Humphrey said he couldn’t wait.

“It’s kind of exciting,” Humphrey said. “We just had a fight.

“They’re familiar with us. It’s just going to be who’s the better team. When you play three times, the better team usually shows up.”

The Ravens hope Lamar Jackson (knee) is healthy enough to play in the playoffs after missing the last five games of the regular season. Jackson was in the lineup when the Ravens defeated the Bengals, 19-17, in Week 5, but no matter who plays quarterback, Baltimore isn’t giving up anything.

Defender Calais Campbell said: “Of course, if Lamar can go, that gives us the best chance of winning.” “I’m going to root for that and hope it happens. At the same time, it’s football. We have faith in ourselves. We’ll go out there, with whomever we put out there, and give our best shot.”

The Bengals’ win on Sunday didn’t catapult them to the second seed, because the Bills (14-3) kept the second seed with a win over the Patriots. In other AFC Wild-Card games, the Bills will host the Dolphins, who clinched the final AFC playoff spot with a win over the Jets. The fourth-seeded Jaguars will host the fifth-seeded Chargers, while the Chiefs will receive a bye in the first round.

Both teams had already booked a play-off spot before kick-off on Sunday, but the level of intensity was high, and it will be even higher during the playoffs. The Ravens rested some starters in Week 18, including tight end Mark Andrews, running back JK Dobbins and right guard Kevin Zettler. But there will be no delay in the playoffs, when all the healthy starters are playing, and there will be no backtracking as to the plan and strategy of each team.

Even in this game, there was gossip and silliness going on all the time, and Campbell wasn’t surprised. Many people expected the Bengals and Ravens to battle for the AFC North title before the season even started, and that’s exactly what happened. Cincinnati won its second straight title, but know the Ravens want to go through Cincinnati on their way to winning an even bigger prize.

“It’s playoff football,” said Campbell. “Against team opposition, that’s like what it’s going to be next week. I respect them a lot, these guys are as talented as they can be, they play with a lot of heart. Chippiness is part of the game. They just want it. It’s as bad as we do. It’ll be up to who plays the best ball.” “.

It was the first game for Ravens-Bengals inside linebacker Roquan Smith, who was all over the court with a career-high 16 tackles. Smith has embraced the rivalries within the AFC North since his acquisition in a mid-season deal, and he likes the idea of ​​starting the playoffs against an opposition group.

“I’m looking forward to next week,” Smith said. “These guys know, when we come back next week, we’ll be there. I’m excited and I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for us to show the world exactly what we’re going to do.”