The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Cleveland Browns to end the 2024 NFL season on a high with a 12-5 record. However, their star WR Zay Flowers left the field with an injury minutes into the second quarter.
The Ravens will go head-to-head against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Saturday night’s Wild Card showdown. Surely, they would fancy having their Pro Bowl wideout on the field as they look to make a run to the Super Bowl.
Let’s examine what happened to Flowers and whether he will suit up against the Steelers on Saturday.
What Happened to Zay Flowers?
The Ravens dominated Week 18 against the Browns, winning 35-10. After taking a 7-0 lead in the second quarter, Flowers went down clutching his right knee on a 12-yard reception with 12:16 left in the quarter.
Flowers was wincing in pain, but the 24-year-old managed to walk off to the medical tent on his own. He then went to the locker room for further examination. Initially, Flowers was questionable to return, but he was ruled out at the start of the second half.
It is believed that Flowers suffered a sprain, and he received an MRI the next day.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was vague in his postgame assessment.
“It’s not a season-ending injury, so it’s just going to be day-to-day,” Harbaugh told reporters. “[Flowers] is going to try to do everything he can do to get back as soon as he can, and we’ll see where that takes us.”
On Wednesday morning, NFL Network Ian Rapoport reported that Flowers was a “long shot” to play against the Steelers. Then, on Thursday, Rapoport was proven correct when the Ravens ruled out Flowers due to his knee injury.
Rapoport noted that Flowers is very sore but added that he should be able to return for the Divisional Round and beyond if Baltimore advances past Pittsburgh.
How Will Flowers’ Absence Impact the Ravens?
There’s no question that Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ offense will miss Flowers.
This season, Flowers not only became Baltimore’s first 1,000-yard receiver since 2021 but also the team’s first Pro Bowl receiver in franchise history.
Baltimore’s WR1 finished the season with 74 receptions for 1,059 yards and four touchdowns, including 19 receptions of 20+ yards.
The Ravens have the NFL’s second-best offense with a grade of 93.6 (A) in PFN’s Offense+ metric, trailing only the Detroit Lions. They are the first franchise in NFL history to record 4,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards in a single regular season.
With Flowers out, expect Jackson to lean on Rashod Bateman, Mark Andrews, and Isaiah Likely in the passing game. Also, Baltimore will likely run the ball a ton with their one-two punch of Jackson and Derrick Henry.
The Ravens released veteran wideout Diontae Johnson after he refused to enter the game against the Philadelphia Eagles. As a result, Baltimore’s remaining wide receivers are Bateman, Nelson Agholor, Tylan Wallace, and rookie Devontez Walker. Deonte Harty, a WR and kick returner, is questionable and could return from a knee injury against Pittsburgh.
The Ravens’ Wild Card Round matchup against the Steelers will mark the third time that these teams have faced off after the two teams split the season series.