Ravens' Zay Flowers suffers disastrous drive in AFC Championship: 'All-time meltdown'
Flowers committed penalty, fumbled a touchdown, then cut his hand
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Baltimore Ravens rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers had a disastrous drive in the AFC Championship Game at the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth.
First, Flowers and Lamar Jackson connected on a 54-yard play toward the end of the third quarter. Flowers beat Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed on the play.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers fumbles into the end zone during the second half of the AFC Championship Game, Jan. 28, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
After he was tackled to end the 54-yard pass and catch, Flowers pushed Sneed’s shoulders back down to the ground and spun the football near his face. The referees called a penalty on Flowers for taunting. It was a pivotal 15-yard penalty that pushed the Ravens backward.
He later kept the drive alive with a clutch first down. As the third quarter ended, Flowers was the target of the first play of the fourth quarter. He tried to get into the end zone, but Sneed punched the ball away just before Flowers crossed the goal line.
The Chiefs recovered the fumble in the end zone. It was the Ravens’ second turnover of the game.
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Zay Flowers of the Baltimore Ravens runs with the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs, Jan. 28, 2024, in Baltimore. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Flowers came back to the end zone and banged his hand in frustration, cutting his hand. The broadcast showed his hand bloodied.
Flowers faced criticism on X while some others didn’t think Flowers should’ve been called for taunting.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Zay Flowers needs to slow his roll... You can't be that chippy and costing your team 15 when you're down 2 scores. C'mon, man," NFL journalist Bonnie Bernstein wrote on X.
NFL Network’s Dan Hanzus wrote, "Zay Flowers with one of the wilder five-play sequences in NFL history."
"Let the guys taunt," Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"All time meltdown Zay Flowers yikes. Thats a hat trick," WFAN Radio’s Keith McPherson wrote.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson reacts after teammate Zay Flowers was called for taunting against the Kansas City Chiefs, Jan. 28, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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Flowers was leading the team with five catches for 115 yards and had a touchdown catch early in the game.
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