OWINGS MILLS — Ravens rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers has met all of the expectations that come with being a first-round pick.
While the stage is now bigger in the NFL playoffs, Flowers is eager to embrace the moment.
“No emotions. It’s kind of the same,” he said about his first playoff game when the Ravens play the Texans on Saturday. “I feel [like] it’s just playing football. I’ve been playing football all my life, so I’m going to just go do what I do.”
The Ravens selected Flowers with the 22nd pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. He had a solid rookie year and led the team in receptions (77) and yards (858) with five touchdowns.
Flowers has been dealing with a calf injury that kept him out of the regular-season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He returned to practice this week and said he was ready for the AFC divisional playoff game against the Houston Texans on Saturday at 4:30 at M&T Bank Stadium.
“I feel great. I’m ready to go,” Flowers said. “I’m ready to go with the guys, get back on the field [and] try to go get a win.”
In his NFL regular-season debut against the Texans in Week 1, Flowers led the team with nine receptions for 78 yards. That performance helped set the tone for the season.
“It just got me a little bit more comfortable,” he said. “It made me a little bit more comfortable [in] knowing [that] I can go out there and play with the best of the best. So, just playing that game got me settled in for the season.”
The Texans have the league’s 23rd-ranked pass defense, allowing 234.1 yards per game. Flowers could have an opportunity to make plays downfield with quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Flowers likes the way the offense has evolved since that 2023 opener against the Texans.
“Everybody [is] learning more as the season goes [on], and I just feel like we’re getting better and better each week, where we’re putting up more points, and everybody [is] trusting each other,” Flowers said. “So, we came a long way, learned the plays, and now we’re rolling.”
