Raven Country

Ravens Suffer Massive Blow Before Steelers Playoff Game

As expected, the Baltimore Ravens will not have their top wide receiver to start the postseason.

Jon Alfano

Dec 21, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) reacts after running for a first down against the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
Dec 21, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) reacts after running for a first down against the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
In this story:

The Baltimore Ravens have officially ruled out top wide receiver Zay Flowers for Saturday night's playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, head coach John Harbaugh announced Thursday.

"Zay Flowers is not going to be able to make it to the game this week," Harbaugh told reporters. "So, he'll get started again next week and we'll move forward with the guys we have, and we're excited about the guys we have, which is everybody else."

Flowers suffered a knee injury in last week's regular-season finale against the Cleveland Browns and has not practiced all week, so this ruling comes as no surprise. However, it's still a huge blow to the Ravens' offense.

"Well, [Flowers] has been a big part of what we do," offensive coordinator Todd Monken told reporters Wednesday. "He's a tremendous player, but we've got a lot of really good players, so it will be divided up, if he's not able to go. Hopefully, he's able to go, but I look forward to seeing the other guys play if that's not the case."

In his second season, Flowers emerged as the top wideout the Ravens have been missing for so long. The No. 22 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft finished the regular season with 74 receptions for 1,059 yards and four touchdowns, becoming the Ravens' first 1,000-yard receiver since 2021. Additionally, he became the first Ravens receiver to ever earn a Pro Bowl selection as a receiver, rather than those in the past who were selected as returners.

With Flowers out, the Ravens will count on Rashod Bateman to step up as the No. 1 receiver, and tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely will play huge parts as well. Seeing as conditions at M&T Bank Stadium will be quite frigid, though, it's likely they will lean on Derrick Henry and the ground game even more than normal.

Baltimore and Pittsburgh kick off from M&T Bank Stadium at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, marking the first playoff game between the two rivals in a decade.

Make sure you bookmark Baltimore Ravens on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Published
Jon Alfano
JON ALFANO

Home/News