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The Baltimore Ravens were knocked out of the playoffs in the AFC Championship game by the Kansas City Chiefs but one of their players is still dealing with the aftermath.
Rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers was hit with a $10,927 fine for a taunting penalty that has become a costly penalty for the young player.
The play occurred at the at the end of the 3rd quarter when the Ravens were down 17-7. QB Lamar Jackson found a wide-open Flowers for what should have been a 54-yard bomb all the way down to the 10-yard line.
However, Flowers after being tackled got up, shoved CB L’Jarius Sneed to the ground, spun the football at the corner and stood over him. The referees immediately threw a flag on the play and called the rookie for taunting.
The flag moved the ball back to the 25-yard line. The play drew the ire of some watching as they felt while the Flowers penalty was deserved, the Chiefs should have been called for similar penalties.
Bobby Trosset, also known as “Bobby Baltimore,” is the co-host of “The Vault: A Daily Ravens Podcast” and he posted, “Taunting penalty called on Zay Flowers. An easy one. Travis Kelce could easily have five of them by now.”
Flowers after the game commented on what felt like an imbalance in the flags thrown in the game and commented that it was “anticipated.”
The Penalty Was Just the Beginning of Zay Flowers’ Troubles
Unfortunately, for the Ravens and Flowers the taunting penalty was just the start of a forgettable sequence for the rookie.
The Ravens were able to get the ball back to the 9-yard line to start the fourth quarter and were on the doorstep of at least making it a one-possession game. On the first play of the fourth quarter Jackson again found Flowers who cut in on a slant route and looked to be heading in for six.
Instead, Sneed (who drew the taunting penalty) came in from the side and made a touchdown-saving punchout at the 1-yard line to force a fumble. The Chiefs recovered the ball in the endzone resulting in a touchback.
The play was a momentum killer for the Ravens, and they were unable to score a touchdown for the remainder of the game.
Flowers was asked about the fumble after the game and the support of his teammates. The rookie said, “Those are my brothers, I ain’t except nothing different from em. We all got each other’s backs.”
The rookie was having a phenomenal game with 5 catches for 115 yards and a touchdown before the fumble. It will be a long offseason for the rookie, but his goal will to be find a way to not dwell on the one play.
Ravens DT Travis Jones Hit With Fine
Flowers isn’t the only Ravens player who will need to open up their wallet after the Chiefs game. Defensive tackle Travis Jones got hit with a fine from his hit on QB Patrick Mahomes.
The NFL hit the big DT with a $6,700 fine for a “hit on the quarterback.”
The play occurred before the end of the half when Mahomes was trying to escape the pocket and get rid of the ball. Jones swung his big fist up and hit Mahomes in the face with a move that looked like it belongs in professional wrestling.
The DT was hit with a 15-yard penalty for the play, which ended up helping the Chiefs march down the field for a Harrison Butker field goal before the end of the half.
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