Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Monday that Pro Bowl wide receiver Zay Flowers did not sustain a “season-ending” right knee injury in Baltimore’s Week 18 victory over the Cleveland Browns. However, Harbaugh was noncommittal about whether Flowers has a chance to play in Saturday’s wild-card matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“It’s just going to be day to day,” Harbaugh said in a video call with reporters. “He is going to try to do everything he can do to get back as soon as he can, and we’ll see where that takes us.”
Flowers left last Saturday’s game early in the second quarter after he grabbed his right knee following a 12-yard reception. He didn’t return and Harbaugh said after the game that the 1,000-yard receiver would have an MRI on Monday.
Harbaugh wouldn’t confirm reports that Flowers is dealing with a sprain, saying only that “It’s his knee.”
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Flowers, Baltimore’s leading wide receiver, would be a significant loss. The Steelers defense that has committed extra players at the line of scrimmage in the previous two meetings this year to limit the effectiveness of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry as ball carriers. In his second season, Flowers has a team-high 74 catches for 1,059 yards and four touchdowns.
If Flowers can’t go, the Ravens will have to rely even more on Rashod Bateman and reserve receivers Nelson Agholor, Tylan Wallace and Devontez Walker, while also continuing to target tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely.
“It’s not just Rashod,” Harbaugh said. “I don’t think it’s about one guy — it’s everybody. We have a lot of weapons. We can move guys around in different ways, scheme those guys up and they can all make plays.”
Harbaugh did say that running back Justice Hill, who has missed the past two games with a concussion and an illness, and starting left guard Patrick Mekari, who has also been battling an illness and played just one series against the Browns, are “trending well” to play Saturday.
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