Playoff Bombshell: Ravens Reveal Shocking Update on Zay Flowers’ Status
The Baltimore Ravens were so dominant in Saturday’s 28-14 playoff victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers that it’s easy to forget they did it without one of their top offensive weapons.
Zay Flowers, who became the Ravens’ first-ever Pro Bowl wide receiver this season, did not play in the Wild Card Round after suffering a knee injury a week prior. It was a major loss for the team, and definitely would’ve been a bigger deal had Baltimore not rushed for almost 300 yards on the ground.
With a road game against the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round coming up next, the Ravens will need all hands on deck. Asked if Flowers would be ready to go on Sunday, head coach John Harbaugh could not give a definitive answer.
“Yes, that’s in ‘we’ll see mode,'” Harbaugh told reporters. “[Flowers] is working hard to get back, and we’ll see toward the end of the week if he’s practicing. And he can play without practicing – for sure – if he feels healthy enough and if it’s safe for him.”
Flowers, the No. 22 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, took a huge step forward in his second season. The Boston College product finished the regular season with 74 receptions for 1,059 yards and four touchdowns, becoming Baltimore’s first 1,000-yard receiver since 2021.
Without their top wideout against Pittsburgh, the Ravens leaned on their tight ends when they did decide to throw. Isaiah Likely finished as the team’s leading receiver with three receptions for 53 yards, while Mark Andrews had two receptions for 27 yards. Rashod Bateman stepped up as the No. 1 wideout with the first touchdown of the game, but Nelson Agholor and Tylan Wallace both had receptions of more than 20 yards.
The Bills are a much tougher opponent than the Steelers, so the Ravens certainly hope Flowers is good to go. If not, though, they feel good about the weapons they do have.
