Bengals bust plays huge role in Panthers' Wild Card Weekend implosion

NFC Wild Card Playoffs: Los Angeles Rams v Carolina Panthers | Jared C. Tilton/GettyImagesA familiar scene unfolded to kick off Wild Card Weekend for Cincinnati Bengals fans, which actually, in a weird way, eased some of the pain over their recent porous safety play.

Jessie Bates' long shadow still looms large in Cincinnati over that perpetual position of need. However, one of the proposed solutions since Bates fled to the Falcons was apparently enjoying a resurgence as a starter for the NFC South champion Carolina Panthers.

I say "apparently" because, well, "resurgence" isn't how I'd categorize this guy's performance as the Los Angeles Rams crushed Carolina's spirits in a 34-31 thriller in…