Ravens defend Mark Andrews after costly miscues in playoff loss to Bills

Tight end Mark Andrews will go down as one of the greatest offensive players in the history of the Baltimore Ravens, but a pair of costly mistakes he made in Sunday’s 27-25 divisional-round loss at the Buffalo Bills may forever haunt him if he never plays in a Super Bowl. 

Following that defeat, Ravens players such as quarterback Lamar Jackson were quick to defend Andrews.

“I’m just as hurt as Mark,” Jackson explained, as shared by Jamison Hensley of ESPN. “[It’s not] his fault. All of us played a factor in that game. It’s a team effort. We’re not going to put that on Mark because he’s been battling all season. He’s been doing all the great things he’s been doing all season. It [doesn’t] always go our way. We want it to, but at the moment in time, it’s not going our way. We need to figure it out.”

Jackson wasn’t blameless regarding Sunday’s result, as he tossed an avoidable first-quarter interception and then committed a fumble that resulted in the Bills scoring a touchdown during the contest’s second frame. 

With that said, Baltimore trailed Buffalo by just five points with roughly 8:45 left in regulation when Andrews lost a fumble near midfield while trying to gain a few more yards after a catch. Jackson later connected with tight end Isaiah Likely for a 24-yard touchdown pass that brought the visitors to within two points with 1:33 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Baltimore subsequently dialed up what should’ve become a game-tying two-point conversion play. However, Andrews dropped a pass that hit him in the stomach.

The Ravens offense never again touched the ball before Buffalo ran the clock out. 

“There’s nobody that has more heart and cares more and fights more than Mark,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. “We wouldn’t be here without Mark Andrews. Destiny is a decision that you make and how you handle what comes in your life. Mark will handle it fantastic.”

ESPN stats show that Andrews led the Ravens for this past regular season with 11 touchdown catches. He was second on the team with 55 receptions, third with 69 targets and third with 673 receiving yards. 

Nevertheless, many won’t remember such stats while recalling Andrews’ performance at Highmark Stadium on Sunday. 

“I dropped a pick earlier in the year,” Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton said while having Andrews’ back during postgame comments, per The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec. “People don’t turn on one another. We go through so much from fall camp to now. One play doesn’t define anybody. [Andrews is] the all-time leading touchdown receiver in Ravens history, so for anybody to say anything about him, you have to look in the mirror and really evaluate your thought process (given) what he’s done for this franchise, what he will do for this franchise in the future. He’s been a consistent beacon of success the whole time he’s been here, and for anybody to take anything away from him and his work ethic, I think it’s just unfair.”

Such words of support likely won’t stop Andrews from reliving those pivotal moments from Sunday’s loss throughout Baltimore’s offseason that’s now underway.