Zay Flowers has quickly emerged as one of the focal points of the Baltimore Ravens’ offense. That only continued Sunday as the rookie wide receiver delivered in big moments, helping lead Baltimore to a 20-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Zay Flowers Delivers Against Los Angeles Chargers
Flowers has been a consistent pass-catching threat for Baltimore this season as the team’s leading receiver. That production certainly continued to an extent Sunday as he caught five passes for 25 yards and one touchdown that got the Ravens on the scoreboard early in the second quarter.
He showcased his running ability though, too, in breaking away for a 37-yard rushing touchdown to put the game on ice late in the fourth quarter and end the Chargers’ late comeback bid.
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All of that amounted to a big day for Flowers, one that earned him Pro Football Network’s Sunday Night Football Week 12 Player of the Game honor.
Star quarterback Lamar Jackson continued to lead the Ravens’ offensive effort as he went 18-of-32 passing for 177 yards and one touchdown along with 11 carries for 39 yards. He was impressed with Flowers’ performance on the night and the two key touchdowns he delivered.
“It was awesome,” Jackson said. “We need a lot more, if anything. I’ve been waiting on him to score multiple times in a game. Having that last one with the run, that was a nice run.
“Every time he did something, it was right on time. It was perfect situations when he scored, made the touchdown catch, and that run. Just need to keep doing it. Keep getting the ball in his hands, not just him, but all our receivers.”
It’s just the latest big-time performance in a season full of them for Flowers. He remains the team leader in catches and receiving yards with 58 grabs for 613 yards and two touchdowns alongside eight carries for 56 yards and another score.
That production has been big all year, leading the way ahead of fellow wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr., Nelson Agholor, and Rashod Bateman.
“Zay is electric [with] the ball in his hands,” Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh said. “We have a lot of guys like that. It starts with our quarterback, Lamar Jackson, who just set the all-time rushing record for a quarterback in NFL history. He’s just playing the game out there and competing. Odell came out, especially in the first half, and had a bunch of plays.
“You can name guy after guy who made plays when plays had to be made.”
Flowers’ consistent numbers have also become even more crucial after the Ravens lost tight end Mark Andrews (45 catches for 544 yards and six TDs) to an injury in their Week 11 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The ailment is expected to sideline Andrews for a substantial amount of time, though Harbaugh has expressed optimism he could return by season’s end.
Even if Andrews is back at some point, the Ravens will need to find ways to pick up the slack in the meantime. Flowers is certainly one player who has proven capable of doing so thus far and should be a key part of that effort moving forward.
That bodes well for Baltimore (9-3), which now sits alone atop the AFC standings with a half-game cushion over a trio of 8-3 teams in the Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Miami Dolphins.
Some tough games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, and even Pittsburgh Steelers remain, but the Ravens first take their bye this week ahead of their key bout with the Los Angeles Rams.
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