Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills are headed to the AFC Championship Game, however a pair of errors by the Baltimore Ravens’ Mark Andrews helped them safe a 27-25 victory on Sunday.
Andrews lost a fumble halfway via the fourth quarter after receiving a reception, the Ravens took the sphere to attempt to take the lead. On the subsequent possession, Andrews dropped the game-tying two-point conversion with 1:33 remaining, which in the end sealed the Ravens’ defeat.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh instantly got here to Andrews’ protection after his essential errors performed a serious position of their defeat.
“There’s no one who has extra coronary heart, cares extra and fights greater than Mark. We would not be right here with out Mark Andrews,” Harbaugh advised reporters after the loss. “That’s what you inform him.
“It’s like the rest. Destiny just isn’t a call you make. The determination is the way you deal with what comes your means in life, and Mark will deal with it as fantastically as he at all times does, as a result of he is an individual of excessive character, he is an individual he is robust and he is a superb individual. I’m pleased with him identical to I’m pleased with all the blokes.”
Andrews has performed a serious position within the Ravens’ offensive success this 12 months, serving to them lead the league in yards and bolstering Lamar Jackson’s MVP case. The three-time Pro Bowler had 55 receptions for 673 yards and a career-high 11 landing receptions in the course of the common season.
Andrews additionally led the Ravens in receptions in Sunday’s sport, recording 5 receptions for 61 yards. His second-to-last reception put the Ravens in Bills territory, leading to a 16-yard achieve as Baltimore trailed Buffalo, 24-19. But as he tried to transcend Buffalo’s 44-yard line, Andrews didn’t hold the ball in a secure place, permitting Bills security Terrel Bernard to punch it out and get better it. It was solely the second misplaced fumble of Andrews’ profession.
However, as Andrews accounted for a good quantity of Baltimore’s manufacturing on Sunday, his Ravens teammates got here to his protection.
“One play would not outline anybody. He’s the all-time main landing receiver in Ravens historical past,” safety Kyle Hamilton said. “He’s been a relentless beacon of success your entire time he is been right here, and for anybody to take something away from him and his work ethic, I believe it is simply unfair.”
Offensive sort out Ronnie Stanley referred to as Andrews a “warrior,” sharing with reporters that he mentioned within the remaining that he cherished him and that he can come from what occurred in Sunday’s loss. Jackson mentioned he advised Andrews that “we’re a group” after his drop on the two-point conversion .
“I’m simply as harm as Mark. I do not assume it is his fault,” Jackson advised reporters. “Like, all of us had a giant position within the sport. It’s a group effort. I’m not going to offer that to Mark, brother, as a result of he fought all season. He did all the good issues he did all season. It’s not like that.” It would not at all times go our means. We wished to do it, however on the mistaken time it is prefer it did not go the way in which we wished. We have to grasp this.
Andrews’ errors got here in essentially the most defining moments of Sunday’s sport, however they weren’t the one errors Baltimore made in Sunday’s sport. Jackson threw an unforced interception within the first quarter and misplaced a fumble that arrange the Bills’ rating within the second quarter. As a group, the Ravens dedicated 4 extra penalties than the Bills.
Those turnovers and penalties had been solely a part of the explanation the Ravens misplaced to the Bills regardless of outscoring them (416 to 273) and changing on 7 of 10 third-down alternatives. Since Andrews didn’t converse to reporters after the sport, Jackson was particularly onerous on himself for his errors in Sunday’s loss, during which he accomplished 18 of 25 passes for 254 yards with 39 yards speeding.
“Turnovers. We cannot have that shit,” Jackson mentioned. “That’s why we misplaced the sport. As you’ll be able to see, we moved the ball fantastically. Just maintain the rattling ball. I apologize for my language. This bullshit is annoying. I’m uninterested in this bullshit—.”
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