Despite a fantastic rookie season, the play that might most define Zay Flowers' NFL career so far was a costly fumble in the AFC Championship.
At the start of the fourth quarter, with the Baltimore Ravens trailing the Kansas City Chiefs, 17-7, Flowers caught a short slant and dove for end zone. As Flowers dove, Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed knocked the ball out just short of the goal line. The Chiefs recovered the fumble, stopping a touchdown that would've made it a one-score game with nearly the entire fourth quarter to go.
The Ravens forced the Chiefs to punt on the ensuing possession, but Jackson then threw an interception on the Ravens' next drive. Baltimore would go on to lose the game, despite later kicking a field goal to make it a seven-point game with 2:34 to play.
Though the Ravens had time to recover and overcome the mistake, they did not. It's the type of play that could haunt young receivers.
But Flowers is the exception. While appearing on the the Ravens' "The Lounge" podcast, Flowers offered a grounded perspective on the costly turnover.
"It's football. I've dealt with some real-life stuff, so going through that — [Sneed] made a good football play. I had a good football game that game," Flowers said. "It's two good football players playing. So, I can't really— it's football. That was the first fumble of the year, that was the first time I dropped the ball like that."
Flowers said on the podcast that Lamar Jackson helped him get over the fumble in the following days by assuring him that the Ravens lost the game as a team.
It's a slightly different tone than Flowers took in May, when he told reporters that he still wasn't "over" the loss.
Zay Flowers on how long it took to get over the AFCCG loss: "Honestly, I still ain't get over it. I still think about it. I know next year we have a chance to get back there and try to make it to the Super Bowl. That's why I'm working hard every day and going hard every day to…
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) May 22, 2024
Still, Flowers has clearly adapted the mindset of moving past the game and focusing on going further this year.
And Flowers is correct that he had an excellent game in the 2023 AFC Championship, finishing the game with 5 catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. It was overshadowed by one great play by the defense.
Flowers now enters Year 2 as a critical player for the Ravens. After a stellar rookie season, Flowers could help elevate the Ravens offense if he is able to take the next step.
