Ravens’ Zay Flowers Ruled Out for Wild-Card Game Due to Knee Injury

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens will be without Pro Bowl wide receiver Zay Flowers for their wild-card playoff game against the Houston Texans on Saturday night. Flowers suffered a right knee injury during the Ravens’ regular-season finale and did not practice all week, leading to his official ruling out by head coach John Harbaugh on Thursday.

Flowers, who led the Ravens with 74 catches for 1,059 receiving yards this season, is a critical component of the NFL’s top-ranked offense. His absence marks only the second game he has missed in his two-year career. The former first-round pick was seen in the locker room wearing a brace on his injured knee shortly after Harbaugh’s announcement.

“We’ll move forward with the guys we have,” Harbaugh said. “And we’re excited about the guys we have.” The Ravens will rely on other playmakers, including wide receiver Rashod Bateman, who had 45 receptions for 756 yards and nine touchdowns this season. Bateman stepped up in Flowers’ absence during the second half of last week’s game, making three catches for 51 yards and a touchdown.

Flowers’ injury occurred early in the second quarter of Baltimore’s 35-10 victory over the Cleveland Browns. While falling forward on a 12-yard catch, his right leg collided with Ravens guard Ben Cleveland as Browns linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. hit his knee. Flowers did not return to the game and has been focused on rehab since.

“He’s locked in on his rehab,” Harbaugh said. “Every time I walk in there, he is in there working on it, and we’ll see how it looks next week.” Flowers’ 463 yards after the catch this season were the most by a Ravens player since Ray Rice‘s 472 in 2012, highlighting his dynamic playmaking ability.

With Flowers sidelined, the Ravens may turn to other weapons, including tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, to fill the void. Harbaugh expressed confidence in the team’s depth, stating, “We’ve got a lot of weapons. Lamar [Jackson] will distribute that thing the way he sees fit play to play.”

Flowers’ absence is a significant blow to the Ravens as they enter the postseason, but the team remains optimistic about their chances. “The situation that we have on our hands, it doesn’t change anything about me and my role and what I got to do,” Bateman said. “My job is to go out and make plays no matter who’s on the field.”