For the many strengths this Atlanta Falcons team has, the secondary isn't one of them. Only the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions are allowing more passing yards on a weekly basis, as while individuals (namely C.J. Henderson) have done well without A.J. Terrell, the unit itself has struggled.
Unfortunately, a Week 5 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens is another opportunity for this pass defense to get gashed through the air, even without Lamar Jackson, who has been ruled out for Sunday Night Football, due to an ankle injury suffered last weekend. And that means that Kevin Stefanski's old friend Tyler "Snoop" Huntley, will start in place of the two-time MVP in Atlanta.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (ankle) out vs. Falcons in Week 5. pic.twitter.com/ARbjmgUVBa
— NFL (@NFL) October 9, 2026
Unfortunately, for the second consecutive week, they are facing a wideout who could do damage to this pass defense in Zay Flowers. On Monday, we saw Chris Olave catch eight passes (on 12 targets) for 116 yards against this Falcons' secondary, and Flowers could very well be in for a similar night.
Yes, this Ravens' offense is considerably worse with Huntley starting over Jackson, but the crux of it is the same. Flowers is still the primary target in the passing game, and getting him the ball in space should be imperative--and a couple of big plays are still possible with Mike Hughes and Billy Bowman Jr. among the cornerback matchups he could be facing on primetime.
Zay Flowers is someone the Falcons can't afford to overlook in Week 5
Zay Flowers has been one of the most productive receivers in the NFL in 2026, so he's someone the Falcons cannot look past regardless of who starts at QB. His 352 receiving yards are eighth-most in the league, and that's while missing a game, so he'd likely be in the top five if he played all four games.
Moreover, the fourth-year wideout is averaging 19.6 yards per reception--good for fifth among all pass-catchers through four weeks. Yes, he's a dangerous downfield threat, but Flowers is an easy player for Ravens OC Declan Doyle to scheme up touches for--which is good news if Huntley starts.
Flowers is best as a YAC receiver and is a good route runner, so he's always often turning short passes into big ones--and is still Baltimore's most trustworthy downfield option. So no matter how you slice it, No. 4 is a key part of the Ravens' offense, as he's one of just seven pass-catchers with a target share north of 30% this season--alongside Jaxon Smith-Njigba. DeVonta Smith, Isaiah Likely, CeeDee Lamb, Brock Bowers, and Trey McBride per Hashtag Football.
That usage is up there with some of the best in the business. But it also helps the way the Ravens use him, since they like to get creative with getting him the football and that makes it easy to feed Zay.
According to Ryan Mink, here is Flowers' formation alignment on the season:
- Slot: 50 snaps
- Wide left: 24 snaps
- Wide right: 11 snaps
- Halfback: 2 snaps
- Fullback: 1 snap
This means the 26-year-old doesn't have a concrete role in this offense like Drake London does as Atlanta's "X" receiver. They would rather move him around the formation and force defenses to adjust than the alternative because he's versatile and good enough with the ball in his hands for it to work.
The only way the Falcons would be able to shadow the Boston College product is if they ask rookie Avieon Terrell to man him both in the slot and on the boundary, but that seems unlikely. That's a lot of responsibility for a rookie to take on, even if he has the versatility to play inside and out--so it could be Bowman when in the slot then one of Terrell or Henderson when he's out wide.
Since Lamar Jackson won't be out there, it'll be even more imperative for Doyle and the Ravens to get Tyler Huntley in a rhythm early, and having a receiver like Zay Flowers who they can get the ball in so many ways will make for a tough matchup for this Falcons' secondary.
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