The Baltimore Ravens do not have a high-end number-one receiver, but they do have a couple of trusted options in the passing game. Odell Beckham and Isaiah Likely have stepped up since Mark Andrews' injury, but the top dog has been rookie Zay Flowers.
Zay Flowers is playing his best for the Baltimore Ravens
You often hear about rookies hitting the wall at this stage of their first season, but all indications are that Zay Flowers is playing his best. It may have helped that he got a late bye week in week 13 to help him catch his breath. Since then, he has been a much more dynamic wideout.
In the first 12 games, he averaged 4.8 catches and 51 yards per game. Now, he is up to 62 yards on the same amount of catches. He went from 1.58 yards per route run to 1.8 yards per route run after the bye week, and he was looking even worse in the four weeks before the bye week. Flowers also three of his five receiving touchdowns since he returned from the bye.
One of the big reasons Flowers has been better in recent weeks is his usage. Flowers was getting a screen pass targeted to him 28.6% of the time in the first 12 weeks. That has been down to 11.1% in recent weeks. So, he is working down the field more, which explains why he has the same number of catches but is creating more yards off of them.
This also shows that the Ravens trust him to run these routes more often because they know that he can convert them into yards.
Overall, this may have been the best way to integrate him into the offense. They eased him in at first and got him comfortable running simple routes and having the ball in his hands. Now that he is comfortable there, they are asking him to extend his route tree and create more down the field. So far, it has paid off.
Do not be surprised if Zay Flowers leaves the 2024 playoffs as the most exciting rookie pass catcher after he has a great playoff run.