The Baltimore Ravens took a heartbreaking loss last weekend to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game. Emotions were running high from both teams, including during the pregame warmups that involved Chiefs Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce getting into a heated exchange with Ravens kicker Justin Tucker. However, during a crucial part of the game, a Baltimore superstar was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, which has now led to him being punished by the league.
Baltimore Ravens Superstar Punished
Ravens star receiver Zay Flowers had a taunting penalty during the game when he caught a pass for a huge gain, but then stood over the Chiefs defender which drew the flag. Flowers has received a $10,927 fine from the NFL for the penalty according to the league report on Saturday. The penalty has already gone down in infamy as it caused the Ravens offense to be unable to score a touchdown on the drive, which would have kept them in the game.
Zay Flowers Meltdown
The star receiver had a 54-yard reception with less than a minute to go in the third quarter while down 17-7, which would have had Baltimore’s offense on the 10-yard line. However, Chiefs defender L’Jarius Sneed held on to Flowers’ leg after he had made the catch, which caused the receiver to push Sneed down and flip the ball near him while standing over him flexing. This drew a flag from the officials and put the Ravens back 15 yards from the end of the catch.
Following the brutal penalty by Flowers, Baltimore’s momentum on the drive seemed to dissipate and was eventually ended by a fumble by the star receiver just before crossing the plane of the goal line, which resulted in a touchback and gave up possession to Kansas City. With the final score ending in 17-10 in favor of the Chiefs, the touchdown would have sent the game to overtime, with a chance to go to the Super Bowl for Baltimore.
Did Flowers Deserve The Punishment?
It’s safe to say that this sequence of unfortunate events by Flowers played a huge part in the Raven’s loss, and the hefty fine from the NFL is just the icing on top of the cake. Even though Baltimore could not advance to the big game, their future looks bright, especially for Flowers who had a great rookie campaign leading up to the game. Do you think Flowers deserved the massive fine from the league, or was he justified in his actions given the magnitude of the game?
