Mark Andrews trotted to the line of scrimmage with the Baltimore Ravens yet to score against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football. He lined up approximately nine yards away from the end zone, flexed to the left of right tackle Roger Rosengarten. The defense was set up perfectly for Andrews to score. Andrews quickly found a hole in the defense and sat in the window just as Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson delivered the ball to him. An easy catch and turn upfield broke the ice for the Ravens putting seven points on the board. Andrews quickly stood up and pumped his fist before shaking hands with fellow tight end Isaiah Likely.
Business as usual. Andrews had done this many times before. But this wasn’t just an ordinary touchdown. It was the 42nd time Andrews reached paydirt and signaled him becoming the franchise leader for touchdowns by a Ravens tight end, passing Todd Heap, who was inducted into the Ravens Ring of Honor back in 2014.
“I’m incredibly grateful, and just thinking back, you got to think about getting drafted to this incredible organization,” Andrews said on Monday. “I’ve been blessed with incredible teammates and obviously No. 8 [Lamar Jackson] and having that connection…You got to look back at the guys like Todd Heap, and the guys that have done it before you and just be grateful that I’m in this situation and blessed.”
The list of standout Ravens tight ends ranges from Shannon Sharpe to Dennis Pita to Heap and more. Now Andrews sits at the top of the list.
Andrews, a 2018 third-round pick by the Ravens out of Oklahoma, has been the favorite target— Jackson was selected in the same draft class. The two have been the driving force behind Baltimore’s passing attack ever since.
“That’s crazy, man,” Jackson said when asked about Andrews touchdown record. “We’ve been at it for a few years now. That’s great for Mark [Andrews]. I feel like he should have had that last year, but we made it happen. It’s only more touchdowns from here, no doubt.”
Andrews has been elected to the Pro Bowl three times and was named to the 2021 All-Pro Team after setting the Ravens’ single-season record with 107 receptions and 1,361 receiving yards.
The 2023 season was tough for Andrews. On November 16, during a Week 11 game against the Bengals, Andrews injured his ankle during the first quarter after being tackled by Bengals’ linebacker Logan Wilson. It was determined that he had suffered a cracked fibula and an ankle ligament injury, sidelining him for the rest of the regular season.
But that wouldn’t stop him. Andrews was activated off of injured reserve on January 26, 2024 ahead of the AFC Championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs. We all know how that game worked out, a 17 – 10 loss to the Chiefs at M&T Bank Stadium. Andrews had two catches for 15 yards in his comeback.
So far this season, Andrews has 17 receptions for 227 yards and three touchdowns. Here are some do the Ravens franchise records Andrews has over his seven year career:
Most receiving touchdowns: 43
Most single-season receiving yards: 1,361 (2021)
Most receptions in a single season: 107 (2021)
Most touchdown receptions by a tight end in a season: 10 (2019)
Most receiving yards by a tight end in rookie season: 552 (2018)
Longest regular season reception by a tight end: 74 yds (2018)
The best thing about Andrews is that he’s a true team player. He didn’t complain about a lack of touches early in the game against the Buccaneers. Then after he set the franchise touchdown record for tight ends, Andrews was more happy his team got their fifth straight win after starting the season 0 – 2.
“Resiliency—that’s the big word for us,” Andrews said. “After those two losses, just going to work and focusing on how we can be better, because we knew we were on the cusp of turning things over and being efficient and playing good ball. It’s just the little things of football – not making the mistakes; little things of making big blocks; just lining up right, everything. The coaches, players, everybody— we’re all on the same page, and that’s what it is.”
