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It was a night to remember for Baltimore Ravens rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers during the Week 12, 20-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
However, not everyone was a fan of all parts of his game. Teammate and quarterback Lamar Jackson thought the rookie could work on one aspect of his game: his celebration.
Flowers had two touchdowns (one receiving and one rushing) in the game and had celebrations ready for both.
The Ravens quarterback was not a fan of the first celebration the rookie brought out.
Jackson was asked in the post-game press conference about the rookie’s celebration and responded, “The first one was horrible. I told him, I didn’t know what was going on. I was just standing there like alright. … When I seen what happened, I was like that’s a**.”
All of this was of course done in a joking manner between the teammates.
With the Ravens trailing 3-0 early in the 2nd-quarter, Flowers scored his first touchdown of the game on a pass from Jackson. He proceeded to line his team up, turn around and throw the football like a bouquet of flowers backwards at teammates.
Right away Jackson began busting his teammate’s chops on the sidelines. Flowers later had an “iconic” touchdown celebration in the fourth quarter.
The rookie scored a rushing touchdown to give the Ravens a 20-10 lead and seal the game.
He mimicked scoring a penalty kick and hitting soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo’s famous “SIU” celebration.
Ravens’ Zay Flowers Taking on Lead Receiver Role
The Ravens drafted Flowers 22nd overall in the 2023 NFL draft. The Boston College product was brought in to fill a hole the Ravens had after trading away Marquise “Hollywood” Brown to the Arizona Cardinals.
After getting lackluster production from their wide receiver corps in 2022, the Ravens committed to providing Jackson with more weapons. They signed Odell Beckham Jr. in early April 2023, before drafting Flowers a few weeks later.
The rookie has had a fantastic season so far. Through 12 games, he has 58 catches, 613 yards, and 3 touchdowns (2 receiving and 1 rushing).
The 23-year-old leads the Ravens in both catches and yards this season. It is likely that he will be leaned on more with the loss of Mark Andrews.
Andrews has been the favorite target of Jackson since they came into the league together, but Flowers has quickly earned the veteran QB’s trust.
The 2 touchdowns against the Chargers were the rookie’s first touchdowns in the United States, as his only other touchdown occurred in London during Week 6 against the Tennessee Titans.
The rookie is fourth in receiving yards amongst rookies and second in receptions.
Pro Football Focus grades Flowers at a 74.9 overall, which is good enough for 29th out of 122 receivers. The Ravens could not expect more from a rookie.
Teammates & Coaches Weigh in on Flowers Talent
It’s not just fans who appreciate the skills Flowers brings to the game but also his teammates.
Speaking after the game, head coach John Harbaugh told reporters, “You know Zay, Zay is electric, [with the] ball in his hands.”
Flowers took an end-around 37 yards to the end zone t0 seal the game for the Ravens late in the fourth quarter.
Quarterback Jackson also spoke about the electric performance against the Chargers, saying, “It was awesome. We need a lot more if anything. I been waiting on him to score multiple times in a game. Having that last one with the run, it was a nice one.”
Even rivals are noticing his talent. Miami Dolphins star receiver Tyreek Hill, one of the best in the game, tweeted on Sunday, “Zay Flowers is him.”
The Ravens will need the rookie to continue his growth out of the bye if they are going to reach their goal of a Super Bowl.
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