Wide receiver Zay Flowers has become the unsung hero of the Ravens’ offense.
National analysts want to make quarterback Lamar Jackson or running back Derrick Henry candidates for the NFL Most Valuable Player Award, but Flowers is the player who makes this offense work.
So, after he went down with a knee injury after a 12-yard gain in the second quarter of Saturday’s 35-10 win against the Cleveland Browns, the Ravens breathed a collective sigh of relief when coach John Harbaugh said that the injury is not believed to be serious.
“It’s something that he has a chance to be OK with, but we’ll probably have more details after an MRI tomorrow morning,” Harbaugh said.
Now, what exactly does that mean?
It’s hard to tell with Harbaugh when it comes to injuries. He’ll say anything that will give him an advantage over his opponent, so Flowers might be walking around with an air cast one day and then receive special healing from a priest the night before the game.
But here’s one thing that can’t be discounted: This isn’t the same offense without the 5-foot-9, 175-pound Flowers. He is the symbol for the modern-day passing game, even though former Ravens coach Ted Marchibroda used the 5-7, 183-pound Jermaine Lewis in the mid-1990s the same way offensive coordinator Todd Monken uses Flowers now.
It’s hard to get a handle on Flowers because opposing defenses can’t get their hands on him. He’s like a magician. Poof, he is over here. Poof, he is over there. Only Houdini had more moves.
Before Saturday’s game, Flowers led the team in receptions with 73 for 1,047 yards and four touchdowns and was recently named the team’s first Pro Bowl wide receiver. The Ravens used him in the slot to match up with a No. 3 safety or cornerback.
Advantage, Ravens.
They could use him outside or in motion, where cornerbacks or safeties have trouble getting their hands on him off the line of scrimmage. The Ravens can use him as a runner on jet sweeps or fake an end-around with him. He gives the offense a lot of options.
Jackson showed concern about the injury after the game.
“Yes, I was hurt. I was hurt,” he said. “Yes, we [are] going [to] see what happens come tomorrow or whenever [Flowers has] to do his X-ray or whatever tomorrow.”
Because of his speed, Flowers is also the player who opens up the middle of the field. When the Ravens go three receivers to the right or left, they have liked to drag tight end Mark Andrews back across the formation because those three, especially Flowers, draw attention. With Flowers, teams have to honor his speed.
He also draws a lot of double teams, which leaves Andrews and Rashod Bateman one-on-one on the outside. Even if Flowers is slowed by the knee injury, it could make a difference in this offense. Jackson did give an endorsement of Bateman, who had five catches for 76 yards and a touchdown against the Browns.
“I’m not surprised. I’ve been seeing what ‘Bate’ was capable of doing and we just got a glimpse,” Jackson said. “I’m not [going to] toot his horn. We’ve got things to do. We’ve got things to do. I already knew what type of player he was — we all knew; we see him every day. But we just got something to do; we’ve got things to finish.”
Two other things set Flowers apart from any other receiver on this roster. He has great speed, and the ability to make a big play from anywhere on the field. He is averaging 14.3 yards per reception, which is why the Ravens want him to touch the ball as often as possible.
He also has eight carries for 47 yards; only Jackson averaged more per carry (6.6) entering Week 18. So, with no Flowers, teams can double-team Andrews or Bateman outside the red zone. With no Flowers, Jackson loses his biggest weapon on the Ravens’ best play: Jackson scrambling around and then throwing to Flowers because few cornerbacks can stick with him longer than three or four seconds.
He is a defense’s nightmare and the Ravens’ dream.
Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun.