The Baltimore Ravens rallied to a potential comeback against the Buffalo Bills in Saturday’s AFC Divisional match and had an opportunity at a two-point conversion to tie the game.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Unfortunately for Baltimore, one of the franchise’s most dependable pass catchers was all but reliable when it mattered most.
Ravens tight end Mark Andrews has been quarterback Lamar Jackson’s most consistent target since the beginning of Jackson’s career. It’s almost expected that with the season on the line, he went to his most trusted receiver on one of the biggest plays of the year.
Jackson led an eight-play, 88-yard drive down the field following a Bills kicker Tyler Bass 21-yard field goal to give the Ravens the opportunity to knot the game. On first down, 24 yards out of the end zone, the quarterback found a streaking tight end Isaiah Likely uncovered in the end zone, putting the score at 27-25 with less than two minutes to play.
Baltimore would elect to go for two — the right decision. Unfortunately, Jackson would make the wrong decision on which one of his tight ends he targeted to bring the game even.
The Ravens’ MVP candidate took the ensuing snap and rolled right. As his receivers and defenders flowed with him, Andrews broke free from his position for what appeared to be a go-ahead conversion. Jackson saw the same thing everyone else did and put the ball right on the tight end. Andrews would adjust to the ball, appearing to catch Jackson’s routine pass right in his stomach as he back pedaled into the end zone.
At least we thought he did.
As Andrews back fell backwards, the ball fell out of his possession, watching the game and the Ravens’ season slip away.
Mark Andrews is gonna need witness protection in Baltimore after the fumble and this drop to tie the game pic.twitter.com/GQ1OD52H62
— John (@iam_johnw) January 20, 2025
This wouldn’t be the first instance in the matchup that an Andrews’ faux pas ruined the Ravens’ opportunity to win this game.
Following Bills kicker Tyler Bass’ 51-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to extend Buffalo’s lead to 24-19, Baltimore began its push downfield, as Andrews, Jackson and running back Derrick Henry stepped in as the team’s big three and attempted to trudge to the end zone.
On the sixth play of the drive, Jackson went to Andrews, completing a pass for 16 yards. What looked like a positive gain on a potential game-changing drive quickly turned into disaster.
Andrews turned into the middle of the field after the catch, pitted face-to-face with Buffalo linebacker Terrel Bernard. A nifty sidestep stopped Andrews from making direct contact with the Bills’ defender; however, Bernard was able to get a precision punch on the ball and recover his own forced fumble. Bass would knock down the 21-yard field goal — the eventual game-winner — on the next drive. He had a perfect day kicking, knocking down both his field goals and all three of his extra-point tries.
TB IN THE CLUTCH!!!
????: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/Q4yPvYIyCx
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 20, 2025
It was an unfortunate outing for Andrews, especially considering he had such a great day prior to the mishaps. His 5 catches for 61 yards was first on the team in receptions and third in receiving yards.
Andrews returned this year from a severe leg injury in 2023 that upended his season. While the loss to the Bills was far from the greatest depiction of him as a Raven, it’s hard to discredit how much he has done for the organization.
The veteran tight end claimed Baltimore’s all-time receiving touchdown record earlier this season, bringing his career total to 51 touchdowns. Andrews surpassed legendary Ravens tight end Todd Heap’s previously standing 41 scores in Week 7’s 41-31 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with his second of 11 touchdowns on the season. He led Baltimore in touchdown receptions this year.
The three-time Pro Bowler also jumped to second all-time in receiving yards this year (5,530), passing his predecessor Heap (5,492) again with his 673 yards from 55 receptions, the third most on the team.
Things haven’t been even close to bad for Andrews during his seven seasons as a Raven, the Arizona native just couldn’t handle the heat when the pressure got too hot.
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Reporter Jordyn Bennett covers the Arizona Cardinals, Arizona State, Phoenix area sports and sports related topics. You can follow him on his X account, @j_bennett_live
