While many thought the Baltimore Ravens would be in a prime position to complete their midseason turnaround and make the playoffs in 2025, those dreams have fallen off the rails. They are 1-3 in their last four games, which includes a Week 14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. That loss has become a backbreaker, with the Ravens now sitting two games back of the AFC North lead with two games to go.
The worst part is, it feels like each of those three losses was a winnable contest. Countless errors on the offensive and defensive sides made Baltimore vulnerable, and against better competition, they faltered. It was the team’s stars and leaders making these mistakes, too.
One player who has stood out all year is wide receiver Zay Flowers. He is having a career-best campaign with 78 receptions for 1,043 yards through 15 games, earning his second straight Pro Bowl nod along the way. However, he has also stood out for the wrong reasons, which is making what should have been an encouraging season a complete nightmare.
Zay Flowers continues to come up short in critical moments
To his credit, excluding running back Derrick Henry, Flowers has far and away been the most reliable weapon for quarterback Lamar Jackson. He has failed to log at least 50 receiving yards in just three games. Sure, the lack of touchdowns (three) is concerning, but when you have Henry and tight end Mark Andrews eating up most of the touches in the red zone, those scores can be hard to come by.
Still, that does not excuse his errors that lead to game-changing plays going the other way. He has three fumbles and five drops in 2025, and most of those have come at a time when the Ravens have needed wins most.
In both Baltimore’s Week 13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and Week 16 loss to the New England Patriots, Flowers fumbled the game away on the team’s last-gasp drives. In a Week 15 win over the Bengals, the 25-year-old deflected a pass that hit him right in the chest into the arms of a Cincinnati defender for an interception. He also dropped a touchdown later in the game that would have made it a 21-point lead.
The now two-time Pro Bowler has been far from the reason for Baltimore’s struggles this season. He has provided life to an otherwise lackluster offense, and is really the only dangerous receiving threat that Jackson has had at his disposal.
Regardless, if Flowers truly wants to take a leap to the next level, he cannot keep giving games away when the lights are at their brightest. The fumble at the goal line against the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2023 AFC Championship Game continues to follow him, and he desperately needs to put that nightmare to rest if he wants to be respected as a dynamic number-one option.