The Baltimore Ravens got a glimpse of life without Zay Flowers in Week 2 as he sat out with a hamstring injury — it wasn’t pretty.
Flowers wasn’t practicing on Wednesday as his team faces a huge test in Week 3, when they travel to Rio de Janeiro to face the Dallas Cowboys.
The Ravens looked downright unstoppable in a Week 1 win over the Indianapolis Colts but fell back to earth without Flowers in a Week 2 home loss to the New Orleans Saints.
“Ravens WR Zay Flowers (hamstring) is not practicing Wednesday,” ESPN’s Jamison Hensley wrote on his official X account. “Flowers was injured in the season opener and didn’t play in Week 2. Ravens play the Cowboys in Rio.”
Of probably even more concern for the Ravens in bringing Flowers back is not only the massive amount of travel it takes to get to Brazil but also the concerns over reports that the field the game will be played on at Maracanã Stadium is not fit for an NFL game.
Flowers Out Means Rashod Bateman Still WR1
No Flowers would mean veteran wide receiver Rashod Bateman slots in again as WR1 for the Ravens. Bateman had 7 receptions for 88 yards and 1 touchdown in the 24-17 loss to the Saints.
:If Zay Flowers (hamstring) misses a second straight game, Rashod Bateman becomes WR1 again for the Ravens,” Hensley wrote on X.
Massive New Contract for Zay Flowers in Preseason
Flowers, fresh off signing a 4-year, $140 million contract, looked like the NFL’s best wide receiver with 5 receptions for 150 yards and 1 touchdown in a 41-31 Week 1 win over the Indianapolis Colts — a game in which he didn’t even play the 2nd half.
The Ravens are doubly hurting at wide receiver after rookie Ja’Kobi Lane, who won a starting role in training camp and the preseason, suffered a fractured wrist against the Colts.
Lane underwent surgery and was placed on injured reserve, meaning he’ll miss at least the next 4 games. That means the earliest he could return is Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns.
WR Zay Flowers Injury Update: Did Ravens Pro Bowler Practice on Wednesday?