He’s back practicing, but that’s just the start for Zay Flowers, who’s expected to dominate for the Baltimore Ravens against the Dallas Cowboys at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in Week 3.
This prediction assumes wide receiver Flowers is fully recovered from the hamstring injury that kept him out of last week’s defeat to the New Orleans Saints. That’s an assumption ESPN’s Ben Solak is comfortable making.
Solak boldly proclaims Flowers “will go for another 150 yards” this week. He’ll be helped by “a Cowboys secondary woefully lacking in speed and man coverage ability.”
The Dallas defense is floundering so much Flowers “should get plenty of free access targets Sunday.” Solak even asks “Can Flowers knock on the door of 200 in Week 3?”
Flowers hitting these lofty heights would represent quite the comeback after doubts persisted about his injury status. The wideout with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons to his credit taking part in team drills in on Friday, September 25 helped ease those doubts.
Ravens’ offensive coordinator Declan Doyle has the right scheme to unleash Flowers, even in a limited role, against the Cowboys. The bigger question is will the Ravens want to risk their No. 1 receiver on a field many believe is in suspect condition?
Declan Doyle Needs Zay Flowers Back
Doyle’s offense simply didn’t function effectively without Flowers in Week 2. Part of the problems involved erratic play-calling and dubious use of personnel, but Flowers’ absence was the biggest issue.
Flowers is the roving game-breaker Doyle’s more creative schemes need in the passing game. That creativity was evident during Flowers’ dominant display against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1.
Notably, when he broke out of the backfield to complete a 54-yard scoring catch and run.
54-yard TD!
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Doyle had a host of ideas for moving Flowers around before and after the snap. The Ravens became predictable without that movement against the Saints, when Flowers’ replacement struggled to form a consistent rapport with franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson.
He’d love to have Flowers back, but Jackson’s first focus will be on the state of the playing surface in Rio.
Ravens Face Field Challenge vs. Cowboys
The chances of Flowers suiting up against the Cowboys are still tough to gauge. Even after he was able to work out in practice in front of Doyle and head coach Jesse Minter, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.
Minter even revealed, “I feel like a lot of the other guys have a real opportunity to maybe help us in the game. So I’m excited about that,” when asked about Flowers’ chances, according to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.
“With Ronnie, that may go all the way up [to game time] or we may decide here soon.
Flowers’ hamstring problem’s considered relatively “minor.” Yet the Ravens won’t want to take too many risks when the quality of playing conditions are in doubt.
Minter admitted the Ravens’ “equipment staff [is] doing an unbelievable job, having a plan in place.” per Hensley.
Perhaps the Ravens can take comfort from the words of NFL Players association executive director JC Tretter. He’s sought to reassure both teams by revealing “the league’s field experts have been on the ground in Brazil for days, monitoring conditions and working to make the surface as safe and playable as possible for Sunday. Based on our experts’ assessment, the field needed better traction and stability. They recommended reinforced stitching to help the surface hold together and brought in equipment to reinforce as much of the field as possible before the game.”
What level of stock the Ravens put in those words could determine how much work they give Flowers in Brazil.
Ravens Get Zay Flowers Prediction vs. Cowboys After Injury News