Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews has served as Lamar Jackson’s trusty sidekick for two years now, but lately, Andrews has been showing off his own superpowers. Could his greatness eclipse that of Jackson’s in 2021?
In Week 14’s loss to the Cleveland Browns, Jackson went down but Andrews soared high, ready to save the day.
As Baltimore tried to make a last-ditch comeback in the fourth quarter, Andrews caught his sixth touchdown of the season, putting the Ravens within two points to tie the game.
The star tight end also caught all 11 of his targets for 115 yards, cementing his place in Ravens history. In Week 14, Andrews broke the single-season franchise receiving record for a tight end, previously held by Todd Heap, with 926 total yards in 2021.
This was the play that broke Heap’s record:
Look at Andrews, in all his grit and glory, as he absolutely refuses to be dragged down by Browns defenders, running for more than 20 yards after the catch.
Monster.
Andrews deserves every penny of the four-year $56-million contract extension he signed in September and more.
Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews is reaching new heights in 2021
Andrews’ greatest strength this season is arguably not even his catching skills nor his ability to shed tackles, but his weekly reliability and durability.
In 2021, Andrews has played in every single game and, unlike quite a few Ravens receivers, has avoided the injury report (knock on wood).
Whereas Rashod Bateman, Sammy Watkins, and Marquise Brown have all been sidelined at some point this season, Andrews kept chugging along like the dependable train that could.
It didn’t matter who he played with. His chemistry with Jackson has been tried and tested through two seasons, and still, Andrews remains Jackson’s favorite target (Andrews leads the team with 109).
But Andrews has meshed well with Tyler Huntley, too — along with the incredible stat line he posted in Week 14, Andrews caught eight passes for 73 yards when Huntley started in Week 11.
In his fourth (and most impressive) season in Baltimore, Andrews already ranks sixth on the Ravens’ all-time receiving yardage list with 2,916 yards.
Derek Mason and Todd Heap lead the pack with 5,000-plus yards, but Andrews is only 118 yards away from surpassing Ray Rice and entering the top-five. Of all time. In four seasons. Let that soak in.
Currently, among all tight ends in the NFL, Andrews ranks first in receiving yards and receptions and is tied for fourth in touchdown catches.
The only tight end that could possibly be outperforming Andrews right now is George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers, but even Kittle missed a handful of games due to injury.
No injury problems for the Ravens’ Mr. Reliable in 2021.
Should Jackson miss any more time due to his ankle injury, Mark Andrews has been waiting patiently in the wings ready to don the purple-and-black cape.