Both teams appear to be pretty healthy overall entering Wild Card Weekend, but the Baltimore Ravens have one major concern to track with WR Zay Flowers. After getting injured in Week 18, Flowers is unlikely to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Good Morning Football.
“Pro Bowl receiver Zay Flowers for the Baltimore Ravens, to my understanding, is a long shot to play this weekend,” Rapoport said Wednesday. “He is pretty sore dealing with that sprain, had several opinions on it. Everyone has a chance because it’s the playoffs, but to me, this appears to be a long shot.
“This week seems like a no.”
Ravens HC John Harbaugh offered a more positive tone on Flowers in an update earlier this week, saying he is day to day with an injury that is not threatening to end his season. The Pro Bowl WR has been a major part of the Ravens’ offense with 74 receptions for 1,059 yards and four touchdowns this season.
Rashod Bateman has been playing well lately, but the Ravens’ WR corps doesn’t have a ton of proven depth otherwise. They would be more reliant on the run game as well as TEs Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely.
Flowers was listed as a non-participant on the Ravens’ initial injury report on Tuesday. With the game on Saturday evening, he doesn’t have a ton of time to progress. Even if he plays, that knee should still be pretty sore, so he wouldn’t be 100 percent either way.
He wasn’t a big factor the first time the Steelers and Ravens played this year, but he caught five passes for 100 yards in the Ravens’ win over the Steelers a few weeks ago. The first matchup he was held to just two receptions for 29 yards. The Ravens played a good portion of Week 18 without Flowers, and they still managed a 35-10 win over the Cleveland Browns.
