Bills could catch break Sunday as Ravens' top WR misses practice again

The Buffalo Bills' defense will face a Baltimore Ravens' offense that may be without its WR1 due to injury.

Dec 25, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) catches the ball and is tackled by Houston Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter (4) | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Ravens will bring the NFL's top-ranked offense into Highmark Stadium to face the Buffalo Bills in Sunday's divisional round playoff game, but the visitors may be missing one key piece.

Ravens' starting wide receiver Zay Flowers missed the January 11 wild-card win after banging up his knee in the regular season finale. He has been a non-participant at practice since the injury occurred.

Baltimore has only two players listed on Thursday's injury report, including Flowers. Former Bills' return specialist Deonte Harty, who has been designated to return from Injured Reserve, is the other.

Flowers led the Ravens in receiving this season en-route to a Pro Bowl selection. The 2023 first-round draft pick gained 1,059 yards on 74 receptions.

Even with Flowers having a quiet night in Week 4, the Ravens dismantled the Bills by netting 271 rush yards. Targeted only twice, Flowers made one 10-yard catch in the 35-10 win.

Flowers's presence, however, only makes Baltimore's explosive offense that much more dangerous, adding a downfield threat to the mix. One less weapon at Ravens dual threat quarterback Lamar Jackson's disposal will take a degree of stress off a Bills' defense that may have to stack the box to slow down All-Pro running back Derrick Henry.

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Rashod Bateman and Tylan Wallace were Baltimore's starting wide receivers for their 28-14 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. No Ravens' receiver played more than 53 percent of snaps in the game.

The Bills and the Ravens will kick off on January 19 at 6:30 pm ET in Orchard Park.

Sep 29, 2024; Baltimore, MD; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) leaps across the goal line for a touchdown as Buffalo Bills cornerback Christian Benford (47) and Bills cornerback Cam Lewis (39) defend | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

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