Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson showed what kind of a leader he was when he decided to offer some words of support to his tight end, Mark Andrews in the AFC Divisional round on Sunday.
Playing against the Buffalo Bills, the Ravens were down eight points on their crucial final drive of the game – meaning a touchdown and a two-point conversion would tie the contest.
Jackson and Co. were able to get the first part done easily when tight end Isaiah Likely caught a pass from the Ravens’ signal caller and crossed the goal line with 1:33 remaining in the game.
All that was required next was a two-point conversion. Jackson snapped the ball, rolled right, and fired a pass to a backpedaling Andrews, who couldn’t control it and dropped the ball.
Andrews got up of the snowy Orchard Park turf and headed to the sideline to watch the Ravens fail to recover an onside kick – leading the Bills to run out the clock on Baltimore’s season.
Jackson made a beeline for the seven-year NFL veteran and offered words of comfort to show him that the loss wasn’t entirely because of the drop.
Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews continues to be criticized after his drop on Sunday
His failure to haul in a two-point conversion catch led to the Ravens’ elimination by the Bills
After the drop, quarterback Lamar Jackson went over to Andrews and showed him support
‘It’s all of us, bruh. We a team, bruh. We a team,’ Jackson said. ‘It’s all of us, bruh it ain’t just you.’
The three-time Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro tight end has certainly had better games than the 27-25 defeat.
Andrews caught five passes for 61 yards, but also had a crucial fumbled catch that gave the Bills momentum earlier in the game.
It was his first fumble all season and the first he’s given up since a November 16, 2023 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The drop was just the icing on the cake and led to plenty of criticism and anger directed at the veteran on social media.
After the game, Jackson admitted the team needed to do better to protect the ball in an explicit rant that showed his frustration at failing to reach the AFC Championship.
Andrews’ coach, John Harbaugh, defended his tight end as well: ‘There’s nobody that has more heart, cares more, and fights more than Mark,’ Harbaugh told reporters after the game. ‘We wouldn’t be here without Mark Andrews.
‘… Mark will handle it fantastically like he always does, because he’s a high-character person, a tough person and a good person. Proud of him like I’m proud of all the guys.’
Earlier in the game, Andrews gave up a crucial fumble – his first in over a year – to Buffalo
Andrews has been one of the best tight ends in the league in the past few years
Bills fans even donated to a charity Andrews supports to bring some positivity from his mistake
While Andrews has been receiving plenty of stick online from fans and haters alike, there’s also been plenty of reminders of the good he’s done.
One post on social media reminded people how he had once saved a woman’s life onboard a Southwest Airlines flight last season.
Adding some class to their victory, Bills fans sent thousands of dollars in donations to Breakthrough T1D – an organization Andrews supports that supports people with type 1 diabetes, something Andrews himself was diagnosed with as a child.
A GoFundMe started up by Nicholas Howard, a member of Bills Mafia, has raised over $56,000 at the time of publishing – which will benefit the charity.
This season, Andrews hauled in 55 catches on 69 targets for 673 yards and eleven touchdowns in the regular season.
