The Baltimore Ravens had their backs against the wall in a 24-17 Week 2 loss to the New Orleans Saints, with injuries, but they had guys step up.
One of those guys who got a lot of attention for how they would play is Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman. In the loss, Bateman caught 7 passes for 88 yards and 1 touchdown, leading the team.
Bateman came through when the Ravens needed with Zay Flowers and Ja’Kobi Lane out with injuries. Ravens head coach Jesse Minter had his own thoughts on Bateman’s performance, though.
Jesse Minter Talks Rashod Bateman in Baltimore Ravens Loss
On Monday, Minter talked to the media, where he was asked about Bateman stepping up with injuries. Minter was happy to see his receiver make the plays when he needed to.
“We have a lot of confidence in [Rashod Bateman], and I felt like he took it upon himself yesterday to kind of know that we were missing a key guy and that he was going to have some opportunities. He ran some really good routes and made some nice plays. I thought Mark [Andrews] did the same thing. Again, kind of making a lot of the classic Mark type of plays [with] some key third-down conversions [and] things like that. So, when a guy is out, you need other guys to sort of step up and answer the bell, and I thought both those guys did that overall.”
Bateman did not have a reception in the Ravens’ Week 1 win over the Indianapolis Colts. He has 2,235 yards and 16 touchdowns in his six-year NFL career.
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Flowers’ status is unknown at the moment despite Minter saying that he could be in line to play. Lane is on IR, so he still has three games to go before he can be moved to the active roster.
Regardless of whether Flowers comes back for their Week 3 game against the Dallas Cowboys, Bateman is going to be needed. The Ravens are looking at him to live up to the first-round draft pick that he was, which he has yet to do.
Last week was a major step for Bateman to do that, as he played well. The final interception left some to be desired, but Bateman was the top guy in the game. Lamar Jackson is going to continue to throw it his way over the course of the season if he keeps playing at the level he is.
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