Another season of HBO’s Hard Knocks in Season kicked off Tuesday evening, documenting the journey of a new group of NFL teams in pursuit of one thing: a Super Bowl.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!This year’s rendition of the NFL Films production tracks the AFC North’s four teams — the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers — starting in Week 13, as they all have different mountains to climb with less than half the season remaining.
The chase for the championship.
The HBO Original Series #HardKnocks In Season with the #AFCNorth, featuring the Ravens, Bengals, Browns, and Steelers premieres tonight at 9 pm ET on @StreamOnMax. pic.twitter.com/TscdMSJegp
— Sports on Max (@SportsonMax) December 3, 2024
While the focus of the show differs from the other variations of the Hard Knocks series (Hard Knocks Training Camp, Hard Knocks Offseason), focusing on the success of the team through wins and losses, the heart and soul of the production still relies on coaches, players and staff members for its true substance.
Players come from far-and-wide to fill the rosters of all 32 NFL teams. According to a study done by Action Sports Network, 47 out of 50 U.S. states currently have a player representing them on an active roster, and many come from international countries as well. Of the 1,696 active roster spots, only 22 are filled by Arizona natives. While it’s more likely that to happen on this version of the show as opposed to the others — featuring four teams instead of the typical one — the odds are still against Arizona to see a familiar face.
So what are the chances that two players were former high school teammates?
Ravens tight end Mark Andrews and Steelers quarterback Kyle Allen made up possibly the greatest tandem in Arizona high school football history for Desert Mountain High School as the Class of 2014’s top-ranked recruits in Arizona, according to 247sports. The duo even entered the League in the same year. Andrews was selected in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft as the 86th overall pick by the Ravens from the University of Oklahoma; Allen signed to the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent after playing for Texas A&M and Houston.
How awesome was it to catch up with 2 of my old players getting inducted into the Desert Mountain Hall of Fame…Kyle Allen and Mark Andrews…love you guys! pic.twitter.com/23Xg3RaGvg
— Tony Tabor (@coachtabor33) February 25, 2022
The two may not be teammates in the pros, but everyone should keep their eyes out for cameos from both throughout the season.
Andrews made his debut in the show’s first episode, making a spectacular touchdown grab thrown by MVP candidate Lamar Jackson to score the first touchdown in the Ravens’ 24-19 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. As one of the premier tight ends in the NFL, hauling in 43 receptions for 490 yards and 7 touchdowns this season so far, expect to see Andrews a lot.
HOW ????????????
Tune in on CBS/@paramountplus pic.twitter.com/4jZY9c17aB
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 1, 2024
Allen may be a little harder to find.
An NFL journeyman, the Steelers are the fifth team the QB has played for in his six seasons. He is the third string on the depth chart behind Russel Wilson and Justin Fields. Two high-profile quarterbacks attract cameras, so don’t count out getting a glimpse of Allen if the cameras are on his fellow position-mates. There is even potential for the two to have their own on-camera moment on Dec. 21 when the Steelers head to Baltimore for their second matchup of the year.
An on-field Hard Knocks link up isn’t guaranteed for the former high school teammates, but what they’ve already done together on Arizona turf is cemented in history forever.
Allen was the No. 1 QB in the nation, throwing for 8,201 yards and 86 touchdowns over the course of his three-year high school career before moving onto Texas A&M. Most of his success he found through his connection with Andrews.
Valued significantly by colleges in his own right as a four-star recruit, the tight end was able to accrue 3,674 receiving yards and 48 touchdowns from 201 receptions while paired with Andrews for three seasons. He went on to play at the University of Oklahoma.
The pair are participants in the fifth season of Hard Knocks in Season. The shows inception began in 2021 with the Indianapolis Colts as a spin-off of the original Hard Knocks series, now branded as Hard Knocks Training Camp. New episodes of Hard Knocks in Season with the AFC North premier on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. CST on HBO and MAX.
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Reporter Jordyn Bennett covers Phoenix area sports and sports related topics. You can follow him on his X account, @j_bennett_live
