It didn't take Zay Flowers long to make a first impression in the NFL.
In his first NFL game on Sept. 10 against the Texans, Flowers caught nine passes for 78 yards. He saw 10 targets while no other Raven had more than three.
The Ravens threw their first-round rookies into the fire, and it was evident from the jump that Flowers could take the heat.
So how is Flowers feeling before his first NFL playoff game?
"No emotions. It's kind of the same," he said Wednesday with his usual wide smile. "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."
As the Ravens prepare to kick off their playoff run against the Texans Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium, much of the talk is about how much rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud has improved since their last meeting in Week 1. But he isn't the only rookie who has gotten better.
"The things that [Flowers] did in the first game, you still see today – his athleticism. You saw that making people miss trying to get him in space," Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken said.
"Where he's improved dramatically is just playing the position strong. It's really in terms of what we're asking him to do, conceptually [with] the routes, spacing and when we move him around, which is hard for a rookie, just being dialed in."
Flowers' first regular season finished with a rookie franchise record 858 receiving yards on 77 catches and five touchdowns. That first Texans game kicked it off. Flowers came into the NFL overflowing with confidence, and that game showed him it wasn't false bravado.
"It made me a little bit more comfortable knowing I can go out there and play with the best of the best," Flowers said. "So, just playing that game got me settled in for the season."
Flowers has been dealing with a calf injury in recent weeks. He practiced fully Wednesday for the first time since before Christmas and declared himself "ready to go."
Before that, Flowers was on the injury report with a foot ailment. Neither has slowed him down. He scored a 75-yard touchdown against the Dolphins in Week 17 and had nine catches for 72 yards and a score the week before in San Francisco.
Flowers sits next to Odell Beckham Jr. in the Ravens locker room, who tried to help the rookie work through the rigors of a long NFL season.
"Experience is always the best teacher. There's really nothing better than that, you being able to see those things," Beckham said. "Just the maturity when you're able to withstand the storm and the whole idea of the rookie wall and all of those things. He kind of hit the ground running full speed and kind of just kept going."
A former Super Bowl champion and nine-year veteran, Beckham has been talking to Flowers about the mindset needed for the playoffs. He said he sees the rookie "gearing up."
"I told him, 'This is where you start your legacy," Beckham said. "That was all fun and cool – rookie year. We'll put it behind us. This is where you cement yourself in stone, and this is where your legacy truly begins.' So, I know that he's excited for it."
Lamar Jackson said he just wants to see Flowers keep playing the same.
"He just has to keep doing what he is doing – just being himself," Jackson said. "Whatever mode he is in before the game, stay in that mood, because he will go out there and ball out."
