Tag: Mark Andrews

Mark Andrews has assumed more of a blocking role in Ravens offense

Mark Andrews may have not had a single catch, in the Ravens’ decisive win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night, but he still contributed

Mark Andrews may not have had a single catch in the Ravens’ decisive win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night, but he still contributed. Andrews played more of a blocking tight end, as quarterback Lamar Jackson only targeted him once.

Unfortunately, that target resulted in a drop. And it was a perfectly catchable ball in a situation that would have resulted in a first down, too. However, he did spring some major blocks on key plays, including the big 87-yard touchdown run by Derrick Henry.

Andrews has been one of the league’s top tight ends, if not the best TE, for the past few years, so his lack of involvement in the passing game this season is quite puzzling.

It’s hard to explain why the offensive game plan has gone away from him this year unless something is happening under the surface and/or behind the scenes.

However, it is also worth noting that fellow tight end Isaiah Likely was only targeted twice, as he caught one of those passes for 26 yards. So, the tight ends just weren’t really part of the main offensive game plan tonight.

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Ravens put the entire NFL on notice with dominant 35-10 win over Bills in Week 4

Baltimore Ravens put the entire NFL on notice with dominant 35-10 win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 4

The Ravens were a 0-2 team searching for an identity and were heading to Dallas for a must-win matchup against the Cowboys.

After holding on to defeat Dallas, Baltimore took another big step and put the entire league on notice with a dominant 35-10 win over the Buffalo Bills at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday night in front of a raucous crowd.

Josh Allen was 16-29 passing for 180 yards but was sacked three times on the night and finished with a 73.9 rating before exiting midway through the fourth quarter as Baltimore had a 25-point lead.

For the Ravens, it was all about the running backs as Derrick Henry logged 24 carries for 199 yards (8.3 avg) and one rushing touchdown.  Henry also had a receiving touchdown.  His running mate, Justice Hill, had six catches for 78 yards and a receiving touchdown.

Overall, Baltimore allowed 237 yards on 57 offensive plays and held the Bills to 3-13 on third downs.

Last time Oklahoma faced Auburn, it turned out to be the end of an era

Oklahoma and Auburn have met twice in their history, with both games taking place at the Sugar Bowl. When they last met, a legend was still at the helm.

The Oklahoma Sooners and the Auburn Tigers will meet for just the third time in their history on Saturday. Both teams are looking for a bounce-back performance. OU suffered its first loss last week while Auburn dropped to 2-2.

Interestingly, both prior matchups between these two programs have come in the postseason, and both were in the Sugar Bowl.

In 1971, Oklahoma lost in the historic “Game of the Century” against Nebraska, but it was still one of the best teams in college football. The third-ranked Sooners were just behind the top-ranked Cornhuskers and No. 2 Alabama in the polls, but the loss against Big Red meant OU would miss the Orange Bowl. Instead, the Sooners met the No. 5 Tigers in the Sugar Bowl instead. Auburn had lost to Alabama in its only loss of the regular season.

Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan and the Auburn attack were shut down in the first half, and OU built a 31-0 lead going into the locker room. The Sooners rolled to a 40-22 win.

In 2016, Oklahoma won its second straight Big 12 title, but because of two early season losses, missed the College Football Playoff. The seventh-ranked Sooners met No. 14 Auburn once again in the Sugar Bowl.

The Tigers handled the game in the first quarter, jumping to 7-0 lead. However, it was all OU from that point on. The Sooners rode a red-hot offense and a defense with something to prove to a one-point lead at halftime before rolling in the second half.

They capped a remarkable year with a statement win over an [autotag]SEC[/autotag] program that some thought would manhandle OU at the line of scrimmage. Oklahoma won 35-19.

In a big game, the Sooners stars played their best.

Wide receiver [autotag]Dede Westbrook[/autotag] finished his stellar season with one final touchdown in the third quarter. Tight end [autotag]Mark Andrews[/autotag] caught a touchdown, and running back [autotag]Joe Mixon[/autotag] was sensational on the ground and in the air. Quarterback [autotag]Baker Mayfield[/autotag] threw for nearly 300 yards and had two touchdowns, showing off his efficiency, accuracy and pocket mobility.

The big story late in the game was the record-breaking career of running back [autotag]Samaje Perine[/autotag]. The junior was playing in his final college game and broke the OU all-time rushing record in the fourth quarter. The mark was previously held by the legendary [autotag]Billy Sims[/autotag]. Perine burst onto the scene in 2014 as a true freshman and didn’t slow down, running to the top of the Oklahoma record books.

This game also turned out to be the final game for head coach [autotag]Bob Stoops[/autotag]. Stoops retired from coaching college football that summer, handing the reins to [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag].

One of the greatest coaches in Sooners’ history, Stoops revitalized the program when he took over before in 1999. He won a national championship in 2000, and kept Oklahoma among the best in the sport for during 18 seasons at the helm. Stoops coached one more game for OU, serving as the interim head coach for the Alamo Bowl in 2021 after Riley had taken the job at USC.

As Oklahoma looks to get its first conference win as a member of the SEC, an offensive performance like the ones we saw in 1972 and 2017 would certainly help.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.

Ravens TE Mark Andrews opens up about slow start: ‘My time is coming’

Mark Andrews says his time is coming when asked about his slow start to the 2024 season

With a record of 1-2 after three weeks, the 2024 season has not started how anyone predicted for the Baltimore Ravens. Nobody could have predicted the absence of star tight end Mark Andrews in the passing attack. Through three games, quarterback Lamar Jackson’s career go-to target only has six catches for 65 yards and was most recently held to zero catches in last week’s win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Andrews missed the final stretch of the 2023 season with an ankle injury suffered against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11 before returning to play in the AFC Championship against the Kansas City Chiefs. On top of recovering from last season’s injury, Andrews was involved in a car accident during training camp in August that sidelined him for multiple weeks. The two things could help explain such an unusual start for one of the league’s top tight ends.

While speaking with the media on Thursday ahead of a Sunday Night Football showdown with the Buffalo Bills, Andrews noted that he feels good.

“I feel like I’m running fast,” Andrews said. “[I’m] the same old Mark doing the same old things. My time will come, but again, I’m just worried about execution [and] helping this team win. However I can do that, I will.”

Questions regarding Andrews’ future with the team were already present before the start of the season after fellow tight end Isaiah Likely’s breakout performance last season. The Ravens will be tight against the salary cap again this offseason, and moving on from Andrews is a way they could clear a notable amount of cap space.

 

Ravens vs. Raiders: Top photos from Week 2 matchup at M&T Bank Stadium

The Ravens have gone from a Super Bowl hopeful, to a team searching for answers after a shocking 26-23 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.

The loss dropped Baltimore to 0-2 on the season, while creating more discourse centered on the offensive line, secondary, run-pass ratios, and Lamar Jackson. The disappointing loss also creates something of a hotseat for head coach John Harbaugh with a difficult matchup against the Cowboys looming.

Here are the top photos from Week 2.

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Patrick Ricard discusses the chemistry between Ravens tight ends and QB Lamar Jackson

Ravens fullback Patrick Ricard talked about the relationship between tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely

The Baltimore Ravens saw tight end Isaiah Likely break out in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs to nine receptions for 111 yards and a score. He could have had a second but saw his toe barely touch out of bounds in the end zone to wipe away what would have been the game-tying or possibly game-winning score.

Likely is set to be highly involved in what the Ravens do offensively this season alongside fellow tight end Mark Andrews. Fullback Patrick Ricard described the relationship between the two, especially with quarterback Lamar Jackson.

“I think the biggest thing about Mark [Andrews] and Isaiah [Likely] is they have [a] backyard football kind of sense when they play. They have a lot of … They fill space, and they’re able to … They’re able to get open, [which] is their biggest thing, and you can kind of see it from both of them, and Lamar [Jackson] is the same way. He can sense where they’re going to be, even if the route isn’t exactly how it’s supposed to be, but they get open. I think that’s what you see a lot with Isaish and Mark. The other biggest thing is they love to compete, especially those two. They’re just always trying to get better at different things, but with each other, because they are very similar players.”

Andrews has been one of the best at his position for years and Likely is now bursting onto the scene to form an elite one-two punch. The veteran of the two already has an established connection with Jackson, whereas Likely is quickly getting up to that level.

Ravens restructure Justin Tucker’s contract to create extra salary cap space

Ravens restructure Justin Tucker’s contract to create extra salary cap space

We previously wrote about Baltimore’s need to become salary cap compliant before Thursday’s season opener against the Chiefs. GM Eric DeCosta has several options at his disposal.

DeCosta used one on Monday, restructuring the contract of All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith, freeing up $3.65 million in salary cap space.

He did it again on Tuesday, restructuring All-Pro defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike and Justin Tucker.

Tucker’s restructure saves the Ravens over $1.7 million.

https://Twitter.com/FieldYates/status/1831093078729326787

Last season, Tucker (90.2%) connected on 31-of-36 field goal attempts and 50-of-51 points after tries, scoring a career-high team record and AFC-best 143 points in 2023. All but one of Tucker’s misses last season have been on tries of at least 53 yards, including a blocked 55-yarder. In 2023, Tucker posted his ninth-ever season, reaching at least 30 field goals made, with no other kicker in NFL history producing more than five such seasons. He also owns an NFL-record 12 straight seasons (each year of his career) with at least 25 field goals made.

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Ravens restructure Nnamdi Madubuike’s contract to create extra salary cap space

Ravens restructure Nnamdi Madubuike’s contract to create extra salary cap space

We previously wrote about Baltimore’s need to become salary cap compliant before Thursday’s season opener against the Chiefs. GM Eric DeCosta has several options at his disposal.

DeCosta used one on Monday, restructuring the contract of All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith, freeing up $3.65 million in salary cap space.

He did it again on Tuesday, restructuring All-Pro defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike.

https://Twitter.com/FieldYates/status/1831093078729326787

Madubuike improved greatly in his fourth season with the Ravens. He led the team with 13 sacks, 33 quarterback hits, and 12 tackles for loss, which earned him his first Pro Bowl honor.

Madubuike had a breakout season in a contract year, setting himself up for a four-year, $98 million extension.

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Ravens restructure Roquan Smith’s contract to create extra salary cap space

Ravens create $3.65M in cap space by restructuring Roquan Smith’s deal

We previously wrote about Baltimore needing to get salary cap compliant before Thursday’s season opener against the Chiefs, with GM Eric DeCosta having several options at his disposal.

DeCosta used one on Monday, restructuring the contract of All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith, freeing up $3.65 million in salary cap space.

Roquan Smith approaches the game with an intense mindset, always playing with anger and never showing signs of weakness. The star linebacker was acquired by the Baltimore Ravens from the Bears in 2022, and since then, he has recorded over 245 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and two interceptions and earned a 75.0 grade from PFF in 25 games.

Smith had 84 solo tackles, 74 assists, 1.5 sacks, and one interception in 16 games in 2023, and he’s the best leader the Ravens have had since Ray Lewis retired.

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Mark Andrews opens up on “scary” car accident that “puts things in perspective”

Today also saw him speak to reporters for the first time since the accident as well.

Friday saw Mark Andrews practice for the first time since he was involved in a car accident on his way to the team’s facility on August 14. Today, he also spoke to reporters for the first time since the accident.

The Ravens star tight end opened up about how the traumatic incident deeply affected him.

“It was definitely a serious thing,” Andrews said to the assembled media.

“For me, it puts things in perspective of tell the people that you’re around that you love them, and wear your seatbelt.

“You never know what’s gonna happen on the road. You never know what things might be thrown at you, what things might come at you…Yeah, it was a scary moment, put things in perspective, but I’m feeling good.”

Andrews denied any suggestion that he could be rusty for Thursday’s season opener.

Despite not practicing for over a fortnight, the Ravens TE1 indicated that he’s fully ready to go and excited about the season opener at the reigning NFL champion Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night.

“My body feels great,” he later added.