What once was a promising season came to a screeching halt on Sunday for the Baltimore Ravens. The 27-25 Divisional playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium last Sunday, January 19, left much to be desired. The Ravens roared back late in the fourth quarter and had a chance to tie it up until Lamar Jackson’s pass was dropped by tight end Mark Andrews on the two-point conversion attempt.
It’s easy to blame Andrews for the disappointing loss, but mistakes across the board cost the Ravens.
“It’s a team effort. It’s not on [Mark Andrews],” running back Derrick Henry said. “We’re all in this together. He’s a warrior, and there’s a lot to be proud about from this season [for] us as a group. We always [are] going [to] back him.”
The Ravens moved the ball well. Their 416 yards of total offense far outweighed Buffalo’s 273. The three turnovers proved to be the major problem, which is uncharacteristic for Baltimore who was averaging a stingy 0.8 per game.
“It was uncharacteristic to have turnovers like that. There were opportunities for us to not have those, but we had them,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. “So, you try to bounce back from them. That’s what you try to do in the course of the game. You can’t take them back. Once they happen, they happen.”
“You never want to have turnovers. It gives the other team momentum. We had three [turnovers] today; that hurt us. We fought back. It just wasn’t enough,” Henry said.
Lamar Jackson had only thrown four interceptions during the regular season. He was picked off once by the Bills when he was rushed into making a throw early in the game. The Bills were able to convert the turnover into points. Jackson had a fumble in the game as well that resulted in points for Buffalo.
The Ravens were driving for what could have been the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter when another turnover hurt them. Jackson found Andrews for a 16-yard gain on 2nd & 11. Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard punched the ball out as Andrews fought for extra yards. Buffalo recovered it and got a field goal making the score 27-19.
Things got worse for Andrews on the final drive for the Ravens. Andrews is one of the Ravens main targets for red zone attempts. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken dialed up a play he’s called many times before that has Andrews releasing to the flat. It’s normally an easy score. But Andrews was unable to haul in the pass as he fell to the ground.
“There’s nobody that has more heart and cares more or fights more than Mark. We wouldn’t be here without Mark Andrews,” Harbaugh said.
The hurt will stick with the Ravens over the offseason. Seeing things come to an end like that will have to serve as motivation for the Ravens to fight back harder next season. The weight may not feel as heavy as it does on Andrews but Harbaugh believes his star tight end will bounce back.
“Mark will handle it fantastic like he always does, because he’s a high-character person, he’s a tough person, and he’s a good person,” Harbaugh said. “I’m proud of him just like I’m proud of all the guys.”