Zay Flowers spent the first half making the Colts look helpless, then spent the second half’s opening minutes off the field.
The Ravens receiver, who signed a big contract extension before the season and had spent the offseason praising rookie offensive coordinator Declan Doyle and the “explosive” plays that were coming, put together the best first half of his career before leaving with a hamstring injury. He is questionable to return, and he was not on the field with Baltimore’s offense as the second half began.
Before the injury, Flowers was everywhere. Doyle clearly wanted to feature his top pass-game weapon, and Flowers delivered in every spot imaginable - wide, in the slot, in the backfield, in motion and even as a decoy.
He caught five of his first six targets, and every catch moved the chains. By halftime, he had 150 receiving yards, with 83 coming after the catch, and the Ravens were up 31-13.
The Colts, and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo in particular, had no real answer for him. Even when Indianapolis mixed coverages and shifted top corner Sauce Gardner to a more Zay-centric assignment, the damage kept coming.
Flowers opened the Doyle era in style with a 49-yard gain on the first drive, setting up a touchdown. He followed that with gains of 17 and 18 yards, then broke loose for the play that really broke the game open: Lamar Jackson dumped it underneath, and Flowers turned on the jets, hit three gears and slipped through the entire Colts secondary for a 54-yard touchdown and a 21-6 Ravens lead.
His next reception was another sharp one, a 12-yard crosser over Gardner, and that wound up being his final work of the half. Flowers was on the sideline without his helmet, walking around and trying to stay involved, but he was also clearly frustrated as the clock ran out with Tyler Loop drilling a career-best 57-yard field goal.
Flowers had been dealing with a hamstring issue through the summer, and given how central he was to Baltimore’s passing game, it would not be surprising if he didn’t see much more action. The Ravens, though, did not officially rule him out.
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Lamar Jackson Looks Reborn In Ravens Offense But One Concern Looms
Lamar Jackson opened the season looking every bit like the version of himself the Ravens had been waiting for. In Baltimores Week 1 victory, he completed 17 of 25 passes for 324 yards and a touchdown while adding 40 rushing yards and another score, a strong reminder of how dangerous he can be when the offense is working around his full skill set. The offseason hire of Declan Doyle as offensive coordinator already appears to have made a difference, helping Jackson bounce back after a difficult previous season and get the ball to multiple playmakers in rhythm.
Zay Flowers was one of the biggest beneficiaries, catching five passes for 150 yards before leaving with a hamstring injury. His early exit introduced the kind of concern that can change the tone of an otherwise encouraging opener, especially for an offense that looked far more explosive with Jackson distributing the ball across the field. The Ravens got the kind of start they wanted from their quarterback, but the health of one of his top targets will now be worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Zay Flowers Exit Leaves Ravens Facing An Immediate Passing Game Concern
Zay Flowers had already given the Ravens exactly the kind of explosive start they wanted in Week 1 against Indianapolis, piling up five catches for 150 yards and a touchdown before leaving late in the second quarter with a hamstring injury. He was listed as questionable to return at halftime and was spotted on the sideline without a helmet as the second half began, a frustrating turn for a Baltimore passing game that had leaned on his big-play ability early.
For a Ravens offense that has spent much of camp trying to sharpen its aerial rhythm, losing Flowers in the middle of such a productive afternoon was an immediate concern. His availability for the rest of the game was the first question, but the larger one was how Baltimore would handle the passing attack if the injury kept him from being a full-participant going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Enter Week 1 With One Big Question Against The Colts
The Ravens open their season on the road against the Colts, and the biggest storyline is the first game of the Jesse Minter era after the club moved on from longtime coach John Harbaugh. Baltimore kept its core intact, including Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, and also added veteran help on the edge with Calais Campbell and Trey Hendrickson, giving this roster a familiar backbone even as the sideline changes around it.
Indianapolis brings its own set of questions into Week 1 after a season that started well before fading late, and the hope there is that better health from players such as Daniel Jones and DeForest Buckner can spark a rebound. For Baltimore, though, this feels like an early test of how quickly a new coaching staff can settle in, especially on the road against a team that believes it still has more upside than it showed a year ago. [Read more 🡒]