Before you crush Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews for not catching that pass from Lamar Jackson, remember one thing. Only one person will ever be in that position. In all of history. Ever.
And Andrews has to carry that play, moving forward for the rest of his life.
Baltimore trailed the Buffalo Bills 27-25 in the final two minutes of last week’s AFC Divisional Round playoff game. Needing a 2-point conversion pass, Andrews found himself open, and Jackson delivered a near-perfect pass. Catch. Fall. And the game is tied.
But Andrews never got a grip on a reception he’s made thousands of times, practices included. An argument can be made this one mattered more than all the others combined. With no Super Bowl trophies to his name, this may have been Andrews’ best chance. He may never get another shot this good.
Bills remained in prime position to win even if Andrews makes catch
No, the Ravens wouldn’t have necessarily won the game if Andrews caught the pass. Buffalo’s Josh Allen would have gotten the ball with plenty of time left to navigate the field for a game-winning field goal attempt. Truth be told, Allen almost surely completes that mission.
But that doesn’t absolve Andrews of the drop. He posted on Instagram that he left the field “absolutely gutted by what happened.”
Having said all of that, let’s remember the human side of this story. Andrews has enjoyed a stellar career with the Ravens. He’s a three-time Pro Bowl selection and earned first-team All-Pro honors after the 2021 season. In that year, Andrews caught 107 passes for 1,361 yards and nine scores. Those are shocking numbers for a tight end. This year, he set the Ravens’ all-time tight end record for career touchdown receptions.
There are so many good moments in Andrews’ time with the Ravens, it’s not the right thing to do to capsulize his career into one play at the goal line on a cold January night in Buffalo.
And to Andrews’ credit, he took all of the blame.
“Even though the shock and disappointment are unlike anything I’ve felt before, I refuse to let the situation define me,” Andrews wrote on Instagram. “I promise that this adversity will only make me stronger and fuel us as we move forward.
“I’m devastated for my teammates, my coaches and Ravens fans. I pour every ounce of my being into playing at the highest level possible because I love my team and the game of football like nothing else. That is why it’s taken me until now to collect my thoughts and address this publicly.”
Mark Andrews doesn’t deserve the hate
Andrews deserves credit for publicly addressing a very public situation. He could have offered a terse comment in the postgame and been done with it. Instead, he poured his heart out.
This isn’t the time to pile on Andrews and he suffers with the loss. Instead, it’s time to pat him on the back. It’s time for Ravens fans to hope he has another moment next year. And maybe this time he makes a near-impossible catch to put the Ravens in the Super Bowl.
It’s not far-fetched. This team is still good and will be tough to beat again next year, barring massive injury woes. Some people have already done it.
“I thank everyone who has shown me and our team genuine support these past several days,” Andrews wrote. “Despite the negativity, I’ve seen heartfelt love and encouragement, including from the who have generously donated to Breakthrough T1D organization.”
That organization works to find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes, a condition Andrews has. Good for you, Mark.
Ravens fans should support Andrews and cheer him on. He’s done enough for the organization to deserve that.
