Mark Andrews had one of those nights he’d like to erase in a hurry, and Baltimore still found a way to walk out with a win.
The Ravens survived the Falcons 30-23 in overtime, but their veteran tight end was at the center of a rough Week 5 showing that spiraled in a few different directions. Andrews, 31, had chances to swing the game and instead stacked up costly mistakes that made the outing a tough one to watch.
It started early. In the first quarter, Andrews dropped what could have been a touchdown catch on third down near the goal line, forcing Baltimore to settle for a field goal instead of cashing in fully. Then the problems got even worse later in the opening quarter when he fumbled the ball, giving Atlanta possession and setting up the Falcons’ first touchdown of the game.
The struggles didn’t stop there. In the third quarter, Andrews dropped a two-point conversion attempt, adding another painful miss to a night already full of them.
By the time it was over, Andrews finished with four catches for 28 yards. For a player who has long been one of Baltimore’s most trusted offensive pieces, it was a startlingly rough line.
The performance drew plenty of attention online as a video compilation of the mistakes spread across social media, highlighting the dropped touchdown, the fumble returned for a touchdown, the dropped two-point conversion and the dropped pass on third down.
Baltimore’s offense could afford the bad night because the defense and the rest of the team held up enough to get to 4-1, but Andrews didn’t try to hide from his part in it afterward.
“I have to be better,” Andrews said. “It is all about the details.”
He has spent his entire NFL career in Baltimore and remains a central target in the Ravens’ passing game, though his early-season production has been quiet so far. Through five weeks, he has just one touchdown.
The Ravens now move on to Week 6 with a trip to Cleveland to face the Browns, who are 3-2. Andrews will get a quick chance to put this one behind him and get back to being a difference-maker.
In Other News...
Falcons Let A Winnable SNF Game Slip Away In Painful Fashion
Sunday night had the feel of a game Atlanta could and should have controlled, until Baltimore kept hanging around long enough to turn it into an overtime escape. Tyler Huntley, filling in at quarterback, guided the Ravens through a 30-23 win with a late rally that stunned the Falcons and wiped out what had been a winnable prime-time stage. Derrick Henry added 102 rushing yards, while Huntley was efficient throwing the ball, completing 24 of 32 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns.
The Falcons offense was already trying to close out the night when Michael Penix Jr. exited late in the fourth quarter with a rib injury, a shift that changed the feel of the final minutes and left Atlanta searching for answers. Baltimore then finished the job after Tua Tagovailoa took over in overtime, and the game slipped away in the kind of painful fashion that makes a loss linger well beyond the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Penix Injury Suddenly Looms Over Falcons After Crushing Loss
A rib injury turned a wild afternoon into a much bigger concern for Atlanta, with Michael Penix leaving against the Ravens and briefly trying to tough it out late in regulation before the discomfort sent him back to the sideline. The Falcons turned to Tua Tagovailoa in overtime, but his interception helped close the door on a game that already felt like it had slipped away, adding a painful finish to a loss that carried a lot more than one result in the standings.
Penix is set to get further testing, and even with the added uncertainty, the early sense is that Atlanta may not be bracing for a long absence. The quarterback said he expects to be ready for next weeks matchup with the Bears, which would be a welcome outcome for a team suddenly watching its most important position much more closely than it wanted to after a crushing defeat. [Read more 🡒]
Jessie Bates Gave Falcons Fans The Prime-Time Spark They Wanted
The Falcons got the kind of early defensive jolt that can change the feel of a prime-time game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with Jeff Ulbrichs unit making its presence known against Baltimore on Sunday night. Atlantas defense had already shown it could make life uncomfortable for the Ravens, which were adjusting to life without Lamar Jackson and turning to Tyler Huntley at quarterback.
Jessie Bates then delivered the moment that really lit up the building, jumping on a Mark Andrews fumble and taking it back for a touchdown. It was the sort of splash play Falcons fans were hoping for under the lights, the kind that can swing momentum in an instant and give the home crowd something to hang onto as the night unfolded. [Read more 🡒]