Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers’ status is uncertain for Saturday’s wild-card round game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but coach John Harbaugh didn’t rule out the possibility of Flowers suiting up. He is day-to-day with a knee injury.
“It’s not a season-ending injury, so it’s just going to be day to day, do everything he can to be back as soon as he can, and we’ll see where that takes us,” Harbaugh said.
With only one more game promised to the Ravens, Flowers may or may not make it back to play for the Ravens this season. That will depend on how far they go and his healing process.
Reports indicated Flowers had a knee sprain. Harbaugh only confirmed Flowers suffered a knee injury and said the team is not required to give any more details than that.
A second-year wide receiver, Flowers was named to his first Pro Bowl after becoming the fastest Ravens receiver to 100 career catches. He also became the first receiver in team history to reach 1,000 yards within his first two seasons.
As the Ravens’ top receiver, Flowers played in all 17 games this season and had 74 catches for 1,059 yards and four touchdowns. He also had nine rushes for 56 yards.
Flowers was injured Saturday in the Ravens’ regular-season finale against the Cleveland Browns, which Baltimore needed to win to assure an AFC North title. (Although with the Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss later that night, they would have won it anyway.)
On the play he was injured, Flowers caught a short pass from quarterback Lamar Jackson early in the second quarter and then, with a series of cuts, faked his away around defenders for 12 yards. As he was being tackled, his foot got caught on a teammate’s leg, and Flowers clutched his knee once he hit the ground.
Flowers left the game and did not return. He underwent an MRI on Sunday.
Without Flowers, the heavily favored Ravens still rolled the Browns, with the offense scoring 21 points in the second half. Tight end Mark Andrews, wide receiver Rashod Bateman and running back Derrick Henry were all responsible for big plays in the 35-10 win. The three of them will likely be the most important when it comes to compensating for Flowers if the 24-year-old receiver is unable to play Saturday.
The Ravens only have a few other wide receivers on the roster. There are veterans in Nelson Agholor and Steven Sims, whom the Ravens claimed off waivers; a rookie in Devontez Walker, and Tylan Wallace, who has been a depth piece. Harbaugh said he has a lot of confidence in Bateman’s ability to step up but that it would take more than one player.
“It’s everybody,” Harbaugh said. “We have a lot of weapons. We can move guys around in different ways, scheme those guys up, and they can all make plays.”
The Ravens also have good receiving tight ends, so Isaiah Likely could play an increased role. Charlie Kolar, who is more known for his blocking, recently came back from injury, and while he wasn’t targeted, he played 29% of the offense’s snaps against Cleveland.
The Ravens were also missing running back Justice Hill for the Browns game, and left guard Patrick Mekari was limited. Although Hill had suffered a concussion in Week 16, the Ravens’ last game against the Steelers, both he and Mekari were sidelined in Week 18 with an illness. Mekari played six snaps and would have played more, Harbaugh said, but the team thought it would be beneficial if he rested.
“They’re trending well,” Harbaugh said when asked about their availability for the playoffs.
Harbaugh also said he does not know whether cornerback Arthur Maulet, who was placed on injured reserve with a calf/knee injury, will make it back for playoffs. Maulet was injured at practice right before Week 16 against the Steelers, his former team.
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