Legendary CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz opened Sunday night's telecast. baltimore ravens and buffalo bills He said he has never seen a divisional round matchup receive so much hype and fanfare.
Considering quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen are neck-and-neck in the MVP race, and the Ravens and Bills sit right next to each other in the upper echelon of the AFC. kansas city chiefsNantz raised a good point. This game was also the 501st NFL broadcast on CBS, so he certainly has some perspective.
The Bills won Sunday night's game 27-25, advancing to the AFC Championship in Kansas City next week.
But like Rory McIlroy at last year's U.S. Open at No. 2 Pinehurst, the Ravens' prominent star made two jarring gaffes in the fourth quarter that ultimately cost his team the victory. No, we're not talking about Lamar Jackson, even though he committed two questionable turnovers in the first half. We're talking about former All-Pro first team Mark Andrews. He committed a costly fumble with 8 minutes, 41 seconds left and a devastating drop on the two-point conversion that sealed his team's fate.
With 12 minutes left in the game, the Ravens trailed the Bills by five points. But they moved the ball efficiently throughout the second half, relying on running backs Derrick Henry and Justice Hill to penetrate Buffalo's defense on a frigid night in Orchard Park. The Ravens worked effortlessly and Jackson did what he wanted through the air. It seemed like only a matter of time before Baltimore ran down the field, scored a touchdown, and regained the lead on the road. But then Andrews made a huge mistake.
On 2nd-and-11 from his own 40-yard line, Jackson found a wide-open Andrews over the middle. The tight end then tried to dance around the secondary for more yards, but Bills linebacker Terrell Bernard punched the ball out of Andrews' grasp, retrieving it in the process. It was the first time Andrews lost a fumble since 2019. Buffalo then went down and kicked a field goal for an eight-point lead with 3 minutes, 29 seconds left, clinching Baltimore's hopes.
But Andrews' fumble is comparable to what happened to McIlroy on the 16th green last summer. With a one-stroke lead over Bryson DeChambeau, McIlroy's mysterious 3-puttincluding a pass from within 3 feet. The Northern Irishman lost confidence in himself and his game and it felt like further heartbreak was imminent.
Everyone in Buffalo must have felt the same way when Andrews spit the ball out to Bernard and reinvigorated the Bills, when everyone in Buffalo was feeling extremely anxious.
Moments later, Baltimore had the ball again, trailing by eight points and needing a touchdown and two-point conversion to tie the game. Jackson and the Ravens quickly marched down the field, gaining 88 yards in less than two minutes to tie the game at 27-25. Isaiah probably caught the pass and set up the all-important two-point conversion.
Bills linebacker Matt Milano knocked down Jackson's pass to maintain Buffalo's two-point lead, but the Ravens had already missed two-point attempts early in the game. We had to assume the Ravens weren't going to screw up again, right?
Well, Baltimore called a great play and Andrews flashed toward the right pile-on. Jackson rolled to his right and delivered the ball perfectly except for Andrews' inability to bring it in. Andrews dropped the ball, and Baltimore's season came to an abrupt halt the moment the ball hit the icy turf.
Remember what happened on the 18th green at Pinehurst No. 2 last June? McIlroy hit his second shot to the front of the green, but couldn't get it up or down. It was supposed to be a routine par save, similar to how Andrews catches that 2-point shot 99 out of 100 times. But McIlroy left his third shot over the hole and was unable to convert a slippery 4-foot shot.
Meanwhile, Bryson DeChambeau hit a miraculous bunker shot from in front of the green and made a par putt to win the US Open. Just like Allen didn't turn the ball over against the Ravens, he didn't make a mistake in crunch time. The Bills got lucky, but they played clean.
To make matters worse, the Ravens did not release Andrews to the media after the game. Yes, the former Oklahoma Sooner must have been sick to his stomach after that incident. His teammates also had nothing but supportive words to say about him. But being a professional athlete means you have to face the music. You have to answer the question of what happened and what happened. It's business through and through.
McIlroy did the same thing last summer. He left Pinehurst No. 2 on a whim and flew to Florida before DeChambeau could hoist the trophy. He did not speak to the media, but spoke about the situation a few weeks before the Genesis Scottish Open. There is no doubt that this kind of defeat stinks. But the model for players to follow after a situation like this is to look at Scott Norwood. Norwood, the Bills' kicker, missed a 47-yard attempt that would have given Buffalo the Super Bowl title. new york giants Instead of being a turtle, Norwood held the turtle's chin and spoke to reporters for 10 minutes after the game. It was an amazing display of courage.
This isn't to say that Andrews and McIlroy aren't strong individuals, but they made the wrong decision to ignore their flaws, which made their respective collapses even worse.
But the only way to get through a difficult period of reflection and mourning is to fight through it to the hilt. The only way out is through it. But as much as McIlroy is still feeling the pain of what happened at Pinehurst, it will still be a long offseason for the Ravens.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
