Ravens report: No. 1 WR Zay Flowers won’t play but No. 2 RB Justice Hill will return vs. Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers won’t have to worry about facing the Baltimore Ravens’ top wide receiver in their wild-card playoff game.

Zay Flowers will not play Saturday, Ravens coach John Harbaugh told reporters Thursday. Flowers suffered a knee injury during Baltimore’s regular-season finale last week and did not practice this week.

In his second NFL season, Flowers led the Ravens with 74 catches and 1,059 receiving yards. He also had four touchdowns and, in three career games against the Steelers, has 12 catches for 212 yards and a touchdown.

The Ravens likely will rely upon rookie Tez Walker and veteran Nelson Agholor to supplement their other starting outside receiver, Rashod Bateman.

“They are all good,” Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. said. “(Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson) knows how to use them well. Especially when he moves around in the pocket, he likes to get guys open and they do a good job of getting open. We have to do a good job of playing sticky coverage and fly around.”

For all of Flowers’ talent and production, he has only four of Baltimore’s 41 receiving touchdowns this season. Three players have more, including both of the Ravens’ primary tight ends, Mark Andrews (11) and Isaiah Likely (six).

That led Steelers safety DeShon Elliott, a former Ravens player, to speculate that, without Flowers, Baltimore might use more two tight-end sets.

“Those (tight ends) make a lot of plays and are talented,” Elliott said. “Figure out ways to get (Andrews) the ball, maybe (Likely), tote the ball (running plays) 35 times. Typical Ravens offense.”

To that end, Harbaugh said running back Justice Hill will play Saturday. The Ravens’ primary third-down back and backup to Derrick Henry, Hill has not played since suffering a concussion during a Dec. 21 home win against the Steelers. He returned to practice this week.

The only Ravens player given a questionable designation on the league-mandated injury report is return specialist Deonte Harty, who this week returned to practice but remains on the injured reserve list because of a knee injury.