For the New Orleans Saints in Week 2, it’s a tall task to slow down the offense of the Baltimore Ravens.
Lamar Jackson is one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in football and has won two MVP awards. Derrick Henry is a punishing runner and one of the best RBs of all time.
It’d be tough enough if those were the two guys you had to stop, but there’s more.
The biggest name beyond them is Zay Flowers, an all-around wide receiver weapon who had a huge Week 1 before getting injured.
Just in the first half against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1, Flowers had five catches for 150 yards and a touchdown.
The 2023 first-round pick is coming off a career year in which he had 86 catches for 1,211 yards and five TDs.
If Flowers can’t play, the Ravens’ passing game takes a meaningful step back, which would allow the Saints to key a bit more heavily on the run.
Is Zay Flowers Playing This Week?
Flowers’ playing status for Week 2 is still to be determined.
He hurt his hamstring in Week 1, and that’s what has limited him this week.
He was at Ravens’ practice on Friday but didn’t do much when the media was present, not even running:
While WR Zay Flowers (hamstring) and LT Ronnie Stanley (toe) returned to practice Friday, both did very little during media viewing portion of practice.
Flowers stood and spoke to teammates and coaches. He did not do any running during media viewing.
Stanley stretched with the…
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) September 18, 2026
The Ravens could be playing it coy with Flowers, or he could feel better by Sunday, but hamstrings are tricky and it doesn’t seem like a guy just hanging out and talking during practice has a great chance of playing on Sunday.
Who Else Can Hurt Saints?
So if Flowers doesn’t play, the Ravens seem like they’ll work even more heavily on running the ball with Henry and Jackson.
Jackson is a talented enough QB to make plays even when throwing to other players, though.
Specifically this week, Jackson has talked up getting big target Rashod Bateman more involved than he has been on the outsde.
The Ravens’ receiving group, which is already without youngster Devontez Walker, also includes Elijah Sarratt, Chris Moore and LaJohntay Wester.
The veteran tight end Mark Andrews would likely see an increase in targets if Flowers is out. The Ravens are also fond of throwing to second-string running back Justice Hill.
Flowers is really the only game-changing pass catcher the Ravens have, so the gameplan for the Saints definitely shifts considerably if Flowers ends up not being able to play on Sunday.
With the Saints coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Lions, they’ll take any help they can get in a matchup with one of the AFC’s top teams.
Zay Flowers’ Week 2 Playing Status Key for Saints’ Defense vs. Ravens