Getty Image / Julio Aguilar
As if momentum wasn’t already working against Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys, now it certainly is: the Tampa Bay Bucs have activated Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen off the injured reserve list for the first time all year.
And according to the latest reports, not only is Jensen set to suit up but there’s a chance he plays in tonight’s win-or-go-home Wild Card game against the Cowboys (who are favored by about 2.5 points). Jensen had previously returned to practice with the team on December 28.
Jensen suffered a serious knee injury at the beginning of training camp, forcing him to miss all of the 2022 regular season. Jensen, known as “The Enforcer” on the Bucs’ offensive line, had been expected to anchor a revamped interior that had two new guards in rookie Luke Goedeke and Shaq Mason.
But Jensen’s injury thrust second-year offensive lineman Robert Hainsey, a converted college right tackle who was expecting to compete for the starting left guard spot, into a starting role at center. [via ESPN]
The return of Jensen will surely be a huge boost for the Bucs and he’ll help bolster a unit that was one of the team’s biggest strengths when they won the Super Bowl two years ago.
The winner of tonight’s Cowboys vs. Bucs game will earn the right to travel out west to take on the San Francisco 49ers in next weekend’s divisional-round matchup. The #1 seed Philadelphia Eagles, who had a bye week this weekend, will be hosting the New York Giants, their NFC East rivals.
Over in the AFC, the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Baltimore Ravens and will take on the Buffalo Bills, who overcame the Miami Dolphins in the Wild Card round. The Chiefs, the #1 overall seed in the conference, will be hosting Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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