Mark Andrews is defended by Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, despite agonizing costly drop in playoff loss

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh didn’t place the blame of their playoff defeat on the shoulders of Mark Andrews, despite his two agonizing mistakes. 

The Ravens suffered a 27-25 Divisional Rounds defeat to the Buffalo Bills in devastating fashion Sunday – all but sealed by two last-gasp errors by Andrews at a snowy Highmark Stadium. 

With the game on the line and just seconds on the clock, the veteran dropped a two-point conversion to tie the game, moments after a costly fumble in the dying minutes of the blockbuster playoff clash. 

While Andrews, who entered Sunday’s game without a dropped pass since Week 6, did not speak to the media, coach Harbaugh came out and defended the tight end amid the backlash directed at him. 

‘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.’ 

Trailing by eight points in the final two minutes of the game, Lamar Jackson had just hauled his team up the field with a glorious eight-play, 88-yard touchdown drive to seemingly take the game to the death.

After the quarterback connected with tight end Isaiah Likely in the end zone, the Ravens attempted a two-point conversion to tie the game. 

Jackson found Andrews for a short pass in the end zone, but the tight end shockingly stumbled backwards and the ball inexplicably slipped out of his hands and out of bounds. 

It was a heartbreaking moment that brought the Ravens’ season crashing down, leaving the Bills with a two-point lead and just a minute and 33 seconds remaining on the clock. 

But the harrowing scenes were compounded by a lost fumble from Andrews on the previous drive – his first since 2019. 

After reeling in a Jackson dart, the three-time Pro Bowler turned back in on himself before Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard punched the ball from his grasp. 

Jackson also leapt to Andrews’ defense following Sunday’s devastating defeat, despite ripping his own team for their turnovers in a foul-mouthed rant. 

‘I’m just as hurt as Mark. I don’t [think it’s] his fault,’ Jackson said. ‘Like, all of us played a factor in the game. It’s a team effort. Just not gonna put that on Mark, bro, because he’s been battling all season. 

‘He been doing all the great things he’s been doing all season. It don’t always go our way. We wanted to but at the wrong time it’s like it’s not going our way. We need to figure that out.’

Meanwhile, the Bills’ attention will now turn to the AFC Championship showdown against the Chiefs next Sunday night in what will be a blistering atmosphere at Arrowhead.

The Chiefs knocked the Bills out of the playoffs last year, although the Bills won against the Chiefs at Highmark earlier in the regular season.