Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh gives major update on Zay Flowers injury ahead of NFL playoffs
The Baltimore Ravens are hopeful Zay Flowers will recover in time to be ready for the playoffs after injuring his right knee against the Browns.
The star wide receiver will have an MRI scan on Sunday, when the extent of the injury will become clearer. He has a ‘chance’ of being healthy for the postseason, which begins next week.
That is according to head coach John Harbaugh, who was speaking after the Ravens’ victory over Cleveland on Saturday.
Baltimore is sweating on the damage to Flowers’ knee after the receiver was ruled out of the regular season finale.
During the second quarter, the team’s top receiver went down and was seen clutching his right leg.
Flowers suffered the injury after his foot was caught on a teammate’s leg as a defender from the Browns made contact with his knee. He limped off the field and did not play another snap.
Ravens star Zay Flowers suffered a knee injury against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday
Flowers will have an MRI scan on Sunday, when the extent of the injury will become clearer
Without Flowers, the Ravens beat the Browns 35-10 to win the AFC North and secure the No 3 seed. It means they will host a wild card game next week, against either the Chargers or the Steelers.
Losing the receiver for the postseason would, however, represent a huge blow to Baltimore’s Super Bowl hopes.
At the beginning of the second half on Saturday, Flowers was downgraded from questionable to out.
Many teams sit their best players in Week 18 to preserve injuries ahead of the postseason.
Baltimore could not afford that luxury with the Pittsburgh Steelers still in with a chance of passing them on the final weekend of the regular season.
Flowers, a first-round draft pick in 2023, leads Baltimore this season with 74 receptions for 1,059 yards.
The Ravens will host a wild card playoff game next weekend after winning their division
His injury gave credence to Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, who is likely to sit out several of his key players in Week 18 against the New York Giants.
The Eagles are locked into the No 2 seed in the NFC no matter how the game against their division rivals ends.
One of the players subject to sitting out is Saquon Barkley, who is only 100 yards away from setting the NFL’s all-time rushing record for yards in a single season.
With a win, the Giants’ draft position will likely plummet after being close to securing the top pick last week.
