Ravens' quest for AFC North title may have cost them Zay Flowers as playoffs loom
The Baltimore Ravens made clear very early on Saturday afternoon that there would be no drama in the AFC North race. Needing just a win over an actively taking Cleveland Browns team to capture the division title, Lamar Jackson and Co. wasted no time, getting a pick-six from rookie corner Nate Wiggins in the first quarter en route to a 21-3 lead that more or less put things to bed.
But unfortunately for the Ravens, just because the game was functionally over at halftime doesn't mean that both teams didn't have to play out the string regardless. And even meaningless football is still a very violent game, one in which injury can strike at any moment — and potentially derail a Super Bowl run.
Ravens WR Zay Flowers leaves Week 18 game vs. Browns with knee injury
At the end of a 12-yard catch and run in the second quarter, newly minted Pro Bowl receiver Zay Flowers took a hit on the leg from a Browns defender while falling to the ground. He stayed down holding his right knee, and was eventually removed from the game.
Zay Flowers #ravens
— Tom Christ, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT (@FantasyInjuryT) January 4, 2025
From this view you can see his foot gets caught on his teammates leg as the defender contacts his knee from the inside. This creates a mild varus stress which puts stress on the LCL. However, the total varus motion is minimal, his knee flexes which absorbs… pic.twitter.com/eZbfpQLIte
The team initially listed Flowers as questionable to return, but he was downgraded to out at the start of the second half. That could just be a precaution; again, the outcome of the game was decided by the end of the first quarter, and there was no reason for Baltimore to risk it with their top target. The exact nature of the injury is still unclear, and it's entirely possible that it's just a contusion that Flowers will be able to bounce back from with little issue.
If it's something more serious, though, it's hard to overstate just how big a loss that would be. Flowers has been one of the better receivers in football this season, ranking 16th in the league in receiving yards entering Week 18. He may not be the prototypical X receiver, but he's a dynamic threat both down the field and with the ball in his hands, and the Ravens don't have a ton of depth behind him. Jackson and this offense have made huge strides in the passing game in 2024, but losing Flowers would put a ton of strain on guys like Mark Andrews and Rashod Bateman ahead of a potential first-round matchup against a tough defense like the Steelers or Chargers.
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