Raven Country

Zay Flowers Breaks Ravens WR Drought

At long last, the Baltimore Ravens have a special receiver on their hands.

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:

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers had the best rookie season by any receiver in team history last year, setting franchise records with 77 receptions and 858 receiving yards. As impressive as that ways, his second act has been even better.

Flowers, the No. 23 overall pick in last year's draft, entered Saturday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers needing just 84 yards to become the team's first 1,000-yard receiver since 2021. Lo and behold, he finished the day with five receptions for 100 yards, nearly half of them coming on a beautiful ball from Lamar Jackson in the fourth quarter.

After reaching such an important milestone in just his second season, and helping the Ravens punch their ticket to the postseason in the process, Flowers humbly gave credit to those who helped him along the way.

"It's just everybody around me," Flowers told reporters postgame. "From Rashod Bateman, to the O-line, I appreciate everybody that helped me get there – [Offensive Coordinator] Coach [Todd] Monken [and] Lamar trusting me. It was a goal of mine, and I was able to cross it, and we were able to get the win, too."

Needing just 33 yards to reach the 1,000-yard plateau, Flowers debated going up to Jackson on sideline to tell him how close he was. He ended up doing so, and when he saw Jackson's bomb coming his way, he knew it was his chance.

"I've got to go get this one," Flowers said. "It was perfect. [It] landed right in my breadbasket."

After this performance, Flowers is now up to 71 receptions for 1,016 yards and four touchdowns with two games to go in the regular season. He looks to be the top-flight wideout the Ravens have been missing for so long, and they couldn't be happier to see him thrive.

"It means a lot just to have a 1,000 [yard] receiver," Jackson said. "... Shoutout to Zay. ... That's my boy right there, that's my guy. [He's] my little brother."

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