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The Baltimore Ravens let a chance at the AFC title game, quite literally, fall out of their hands.
Ravens tight end Mark Andrews learned the hard way just how crucial each play is, especially in the playoffs, as the team fell to the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round.
Andrews came under the microscope following a fourth-quarter fumble that resulted in a Bills field goal on Buffalo’s ensuing drive and a dropped pass on a two-point conversion attempt on the team’s final drive. Buffalo won the game, 27-25.
The three-time Pro Bowler had five catches on seven targets for 61 yards. But those two critical plays were what had the NFL world talking. Andrews took the brunt of the criticism over the mistakes.
Andrews said he was “absolutely gutted” by the drop, which resulted in online death threats.
With the Ravens back at minicamp, Lamar Jackson defended his star tight end.
“I’ve been seeing my guy be getting talked about, and I really don’t like that because he’s done so much for us,” Jackson said, via NFL.com. “He’s done so much for us, and how people did him, I just don’t like that. ‘Cause Mark is still Mark, for sure, no doubt.”
“He’s accomplished so much for us and himself. I feel like, just let things happen sometimes. We wish we would’ve won the game. I wish I didn’t throw that interception. I wish I didn’t fumble. I wish the mishap didn’t happen, but it happened. It’s a lesson learned, man, so next time, we’ll do something better.”
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Andrews’ teammates were quick to console him on the sideline, where he looked shocked at what had transpired. And though he admitted feeling gutted after the game, Jackson defended Andrews at the time, saying it was a team loss.
“Even though the shock and disappointment are unlike anything I’ve felt before, I refuse to let the situation define me. I promise that this adversity will only make me stronger and fuel us as we move forward…” Andrews wrote in a social media post in the days after the game. “I’m now going to do my part to bounce back and contribute to it. #GodBless.”
Andrews, a third-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, has played seven seasons with Baltimore. He finished his 2024 campaign with a career-high 11 receiving touchdowns among his 55 receptions for 673 yards.
Fox News’ Scott Thompson and Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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