Lamar Jackson is defending his teammate.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Jackson expressed that he believes Mark Andrews faced unwarranted criticism following their divisional round loss to the Bills. This included a crucial drop that could have tied the game during a two-point conversion attempt in the last two minutes.
“I don’t like how he’s being talked about,” Jackson stated. “Mark has done so much for us, and the way people are treating him isn’t right. He’s still the same Mark.”
Much of the backlash towards Andrews stems from two specific plays in the narrow 27-25 defeat that ended Baltimore’s season.
The first misstep occurred late in the fourth quarter when the Bills were ahead 24-19 with under nine minutes remaining. Andrews managed to catch a pass from Jackson in the center, but Bills linebacker Terrell Bernard came from behind and knocked the ball loose, resulting in a fumble.
Buffalo capitalized on this fumble, turning it into field goals and extending their lead.
But that wasn’t the only tough moment for Andrews. After the Ravens managed to score and narrow the gap to 27-25 with just over a minute to go, Jackson scrambled and aimed a pass at Andrews.
Andrews then dropped the ball, prompting a wave of ridicule on social media after the game for his costly mistake.
However, it seems those mocking him may have overlooked his impressive career achievements. Andrews is a three-time Pro Bowler, even earning a spot on the first-team All-Pro list once. Over his seven seasons, he has accumulated 5,530 receiving yards and scored 51 touchdowns.
There had been talk of Andrews possibly being traded this offseason, but nothing came of it. He’s in the final year of his contract with the Ravens, which raises questions about his future with the team, especially with the emergence of younger talents like 25-year-old Isaiah.
Jackson mentioned that the team plans to use last year’s disappointment as motivation for their upcoming campaign. “We’re going to bounce back,” he declared.
