ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — After another frustrating finish in the playoffs, a ticked-off Lamar Jackson refused to blame tight end Mark Andrews‘ dropped pass on a late 2-point conversion attempt for the Baltimore Ravens27-25 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Sunday’s AFC divisional game.

Instead, the reigning NFL most valuable player directed his anger at the Ravens’ three uncharacteristic turnovers.

“Every time we in situations like this, turnovers play a factor,” Jackson said while slapping his right hand into his left. “We can’t have that s—, and that’s why we lost the game. As you can see, we’re moving the ball wonderfully … it’s hold on to the f—ing ball. I’m sorry for my language. This s— is annoying. I’m tired of this s—.”

Despite the turnovers — which included two by Jackson — the Ravens had a chance to tie the score in the fourth quarter. Jackson’s 24-yard touchdown pass to tight end Isaiah Likely trimmed Baltimore’s deficit to 27-25 with 1:33 left in the game.

On the 2-point conversion attempt, Jackson’s pass hit Andrews in the stomach before the ball slipped through his grasp as he fell backward into the end zone.

“There’s nobody that has more heart and cares more and fights more than Mark,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “We wouldn’t be here without Mark Andrews. Destiny is a decision that you make and how you handle what comes in your life. Mark will handle it fantastic.”

Andrews was not available to speak to reporters after a game in which he made uncharacteristic mistakes.

Before Sunday’s game, Andrews hadn’t dropped a pass since Week 6 against Washington in October. In the divisional game, Andrews dropped two passes, including the critical 2-point conversion attempt.

Andrews also fumbled near midfield during the middle of the fourth quarter when he had the ball punched out. It was the second fumble of his seven-year career.

“People don’t turn on one another,” Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton said. “One play doesn’t define anybody. He’s the all-time-leading touchdown receiver in Ravens history, so for anybody to say anything about him, you have to look in the mirror. He’s been a consistent beacon of success the whole time he’s been here, and for anybody to take anything away from him and his work ethic, I think it’s just unfair.”

Jackson spoke to Andrews on the sideline after the failed 2-point conversion in the fourth quarter.

“I’m just as hurt as Mark,” Jackson said. “[It’s not] his fault. All of us played a factor in that game. It’s a team effort. We’re not going to put that on Mark because he’s been battling all season. He’s been doing all the great things he’s been doing all season. It [doesn’t] always go our way. We want it to, but at the moment in time, it’s not going our way. We need to figure it out.”

Before rallying the Ravens in the second half, Jackson had an error-filled start. In a season when he threw a career-low four interceptions, Jackson had a pass picked off during the second drive of the game. On the next possession, he fumbled when trying to escape pressure.

It was an erratic performance for Jackson, who hadn’t had a multiple-turnover game all season. But this marked his fourth postseason game in which he has thrown an interception and lost a fumble.

“Protecting the ball — that’s the No. 1 priority, and we didn’t do it,” Jackson said. “Especially me, I’m the leader. I have to protect the ball, so I’m hot.”

The Ravens still haven’t won consecutive playoff games in Jackson’s seven seasons as their starting quarterback. Now, he has to wait another year before beginning another pursuit for that elusive Super Bowl.

“I have to get over this because we’re right there,” said Jackson, the only multiple NFL MVP award winner not to win a Super Bowl. “I’m tired of being right there, we need to punch it in. We need to punch in that ticket. We have to get right in the offseason.”



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It appeared the Baltimore Ravens were ready to shock the Buffalo Bills with an improbable comeback and send their divisional round playoff game to overtime. After trailing by 11 points at halftime, Lamar Jackson engineered a second-half comeback, highlighted by an eight-play, 88-yard drive late in the fourth quarter that was capped by an Isaiah Likely touchdown with 1:33 remaining. 

All Baltimore needed was the two-point conversion to tie the game. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken dialed up a play to get veteran tight end Mark Andrews open in the flat. Jackson saw him, threw the ball his way … and Andrews dropped it. The Ravens were unable to recover the ensuing onside kick, and the game was over with the Bills advancing to the AFC Championship game with a 27-25 victory. 

You could argue that one play doesn’t determine the outcome of a 60-minute contest, but this Andrews drop was final nail in the coffin of the Ravens’ 2024 season. And Andrews had a nightmare fourth quarter. Before his pivotal drop, he also fumbled away possession on Baltimore’s previous drive. Monken gave him a chance at redemption in crunch time, and he couldn’t come through. 

After the game, Ravens coach John Harbaugh addressed the critical mistake by Andrews, and said his tight end will handle this adversity the right way because of his high character. 

“There’s nobody that has more heart, and cares more, and fights more than Mark. We wouldn’t be here without Mark Andrews,” Harbaugh said. “Mark will handle it fantastic, like he always does, because he’s a high-character person, he’s a tough person and he’s a good person. Proud of him, just like I’m proud of all the guys.”

Andrews hadn’t dropped a pass since Week 6, per ESPN. He had two drops on Sunday night. The Ravens had Super Bowl aspirations in 2024, but weren’t able to make it back to the AFC Championship game. 





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Ravens tight end Mark Andrews had a brutal fourth quarter in Sunday’s loss to the Bills, losing a fumble and then dropping a game-tying two-point conversion attempt. After the game, coach John Harbaugh and quarterback Lamar Jackson both defended Andrews.

“There’s nobody that has more heart, and cares more, and fights more than Mark. We wouldn’t be here without Mark Andrews,” Harbaugh said. “Mark will handle it fantastic, like he always does, because he’s a high-character person, he’s a tough person and he’s a good person. I’m proud of him just like I am all the guys.”

Jackson pointed the finger at his own mistakes rather than anything Andrews did.

“We’re a team. First half I had two turnovers,” Jackson said when asked about Andrews. “It’s a team effort. He’s been busting his behind, making plays for us. . . . All of us played a part in this game. It’s a team effort. I’m not gonna put that on Mark because he’s been battling all season, he’s been doing great things all season.”

Andrews is one of the best players in Ravens franchise history, but it’s a sad reality that this may become the most memorable game of his career. On two crucial plays, Jackson put the ball in Andrews’ hands, and Andrews dropped the ball.





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