The Baltimore Ravens got some much-needed reassurance this week after head coach John Harbaugh addressed the status of star wide receiver Zay Flowers. Flowers, who left Saturday’s 35-10 win over the Cleveland Browns with a knee injury, underwent an MRI on Sunday. The results? No long-term damage.
“It’s not a season-ending injury,” Harbaugh said during Monday’s press conference. “He’s going to be day-to-day. He’ll try to do everything he can to get back as soon as he can, and we’ll see where that takes us.” While Harbaugh didn’t confirm the specifics of the injury, it appears Flowers avoided the worst-case scenario.
"It's not a season-ending injury. It will be day-to-day."
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 6, 2025
Coach Harbaugh on WR Zay Flowers: pic.twitter.com/2Em5OOjWrk
Still, the question remains: Will Flowers be available for Saturday night’s Wild Card matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers? That answer remains up in the air. The Ravens’ medical staff will evaluate Flowers throughout the week, and his participation in practice will determine his game-day status.
The Ravens are built to thrive without
Losing Flowers for any amount of time is no small blow. The second-year receiver has been nothing short of electric this season, leading the team with 1,059 receiving yards and becoming the first Ravens wideout ever selected to the Pro Bowl for his play, not his return skills.
His speed and playmaking ability have added an explosive element to Baltimore’s offense, helping Lamar Jackson post MVP-caliber numbers.
But the Ravens aren’t a team built to fall apart without one player. Rashod Bateman, who has had a quietly productive season, is poised to step up in Flowers’ absence. “It’s not just Rashod,” Harbaugh emphasized. “We have a lot of weapons. We can move guys around in different ways, scheme them up, and they can all make plays.”
Tight end Mark Andrews remains a reliable target, while Baltimore’s ground game—led by Derrick Henry—provides another dimension. Add in the contributions of depth receivers like Nelson Agholor, Tylan Wallace, and rookie receiver Tez Walker, and the Ravens still have a strong offensive core.
On the other side of the ball, the Ravens’ defense is more than capable of carrying the team if Flowers is sidelined. Playmakers like Marlon Humphrey, Roquan Smith, and Kyle Hamilton have kept Baltimore competitive all year, and that won’t change now.
If Flowers does miss the Wild Card round, the timing might not be the worst. Resting him for a week gives him a better chance to return at full strength for a potential divisional-round matchup. The Ravens have enough depth and talent to handle the Steelers, especially at home, where they’ve gone 6-2 this season.
While fans are understandably anxious about Flowers’ availability, the good news is this: Baltimore’s Super Bowl hopes are very much alive. The Ravens have proven time and again they can overcome adversity, and this situation is no different.
As Harbaugh put it, “We’ll take it day by day.” And if Flowers is back when it matters most, this team will be as dangerous as ever.