BALTIMORE — It may be up to Rashod Bateman when the Baltimore Ravens enter the NFL playoffs this Saturday.

Zay Flowers, Baltimore’s No. 1 man in receiving yardage, is day-to-day with an injury suffered in the team’s region finale. That opens the door to Bateman and the former Tift County Blue Devil is poised to excel.

The third seed, Ravens play the Steelers (sixth) in the wild card round at 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Prime.

In his fourth year in the league, Bateman has already set career highs in catches, yardage and touchdowns. He has 756 yards, which is second on the Ravens behind Flowers. Bateman’s nine touchdowns trail only Mark Andrews at 11. The touchdowns number more than doubles what he had in the previous three years combined.

What helps is that Bateman has been healthy this year. He missed significant time as a rookie and even more as a second-year man before getting into 16 games last year. He hasn’t missed any in the 2024 season.

Bateman has been increasingly valuable to quarterback Lamar Jackson. He has four touchdowns over the past four weeks, including two against the Giants. Last week saw him reel in eight passes — tied for a season best — with 76 yards.

In the 17-game season, Bateman has topped 50 yards seven times, with a blistering 121 (on four catches) against the Buccaneers.