We're just a few days removed from the best win of the season as the Ravens went on to defeat the 49ers last Monday... only to enter another pivotal game late this year as Baltimore will host the Miami Dolphins for the rights to finish with the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
As if we weren't hyped enough just because of those two matches, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh added even more wood to the late-season fire by sharing a new update on the rehabilitation of Mark Andrews and his potential availability going forward.
Get ready, Flock Nation, because Andrews is about to make his comeback!
Coach Harbaugh on TE Mark Andrews: pic.twitter.com/WQ9SRuF1PW
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 27, 2023
"I’ve heard of no setbacks," Harbaugh said on Wednesday. "I think is on schedule as far as I’ve heard. maybe a little ahead of schedule – I don’t know really if that’s accurate to say. But I’ve seen him in there working, and he’s in great spirits, and we’re hopeful."
Andrews, who is recovering from an ankle injury sustained in Week 11 on a soon-to-be-illegal hip-drop tackle by a Cincinnati Bengals defender, is about to return to the Ravens lineup, although we will still have to wait for a few weeks if all goes according to plan.
Harbaugh mentioned that Andrews had experienced no setbacks (great!) and that the player seemed to be "maybe a little ahead of schedule" (extraordinary!) but he also warned everybody out there listening to him.
"Our job is to get to that point (deep into the playoffs). That's what we have to do is get to the point where we're still playing when he comes back, and it's going to take everything we have," Harbaugh stated.
The Ravens are in a position to earn the top seed in the AFC by beating the Dolphins on Sunday. If they do so, they won't play a postseason game until the weekend of January 21 as they won't take part in the wild card round in mid-January.
Not only that, but they could rest players in the Week 18 game against the Steelers, thus having three full weeks of recovery time between Sunday and their next game.
That would be a dream scenario for the Ravens as a whole and Andrews in particular. The franchise wouldn't need to worry about overloading their current players during the first weeks of January, and the tight end would have more than enough time to get back to full availability come playoff time.
For now, however, the Ravens will need to keep relying on sophomore tight end Isaiah Likely. In fairness, he has stepped up nicely getting 17 receptions for 249 yards and two touchdowns in the last four games. Charlie Kolar has played TE2 getting two receptions on two targets for 32 yards in the past two games combined.
The Ravens have a big game against the Dolphins this week and FanDuel Sportsbook is giving you a $150 bonus if Baltimore wins the game! Sign up, deposit $10 or more and bet at least $5 on the Dolphins to win and you'll get $150 in bonus bets if they do. Only a short time remains, so sign up for FanDuel now!