NFL Week 11 Tips and Predictions
Lorenzo Reyes is back with three of his best outings in Week 11 games.
BALTIMORE – Ravens tight end Mark Andrews will likely miss the rest of the season after suffering an ankle injury in Thursday night’s 34-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, coach John Harbaugh said after the game.
“Unfortunately, Mark Andrews has a very serious ankle injury,” Harbaugh said. “It looks like a season-ending injury.” So our prayers will be with Mark.
“No one cares more about the team and being there for the boys than Mark Andrews, so it will be hard for him but we will be there for him all the time.”
An MRI revealed that the Ravens’ star tight end had suffered a torn fibula and ligament damage in his ankle, a person familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. The injury is expected to keep Andrews out for the remainder of the season.
Andrews — a favorite target of Lamar Jackson — was injured after catching a pass on the Ravens’ first drive. He remained on the ground for a frightening few minutes after Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson landed on his leg while tackling him at the 4-yard line.
Players from both teams signaled to the Baltimore coaches to take care of him immediately. Jackson took off his own helmet and threw it onto the grass. Andrews was able to carefully walk off the field without assistance as the Baltimore fans gave him a rousing ovation. The Ravens said Andrews’ return was questionable, but he was ruled out shortly afterward.
The Prime Video show reported that Andrews was using crutches and was unable to put any weight on his leg.
Since being selected by the Ravens in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Andrews has been selected to three Pro Bowls and led the team in receiving yards in three seasons. Entering Week 11, he was second on the team in targets (59) and catches (43) and led the team with six touchdown receptions.
Jackson saw Andrews’ leg buckle under the weight of Wilson’s tackle and knew it was a serious play. But he hoped his fellow draftee would shake it off like he always does. Then he saw the confused, pained look on Andrews’ face.
“I thought, ‘Damn, that’s my boy,'” Jackson said.
The quarterback described his relationship with Andrews using some sandwich metaphors: The couple is like bread and butter, peanut butter and jelly. He and Andrews have a connection that only comes from playing together for a long time.
“Sometimes I get one,” Jackson said of Andrews.
Mark Andrews’ backup at tight end
Isaiah Likely will replace Andrews as the lead tight end. Likely, a fourth-round pick out of Coastal Carolina in 2022, started the season Thursday with nine catches for 89 yards. Before Thursday, he was involved in 27.2% of the team’s offensive snaps.
For blocking purposes, fullback Patrick Ricard can be an asset to the Ravens’ rushing attack. Charlie Kolar is the third tight end on the roster.
“It’s not just the next player in the position. “It’s about everyone,” Harbaugh said. “It takes everyone to replace a player like Mark Andrews.”
The loss of Andrews will be felt beyond the penalty area. He is an energy leader on the team, Harbaugh said, and there will be a void in his absence.
“He’s a fiery, emotional guy,” said the coach.
Was Logan Wilson’s tackle dirty?
Wilson, a 2020 third-round pick, was involved in three different plays in which a Ravens player suffered an injury.
Later in the first quarter, Jackson limped after being pulled to the ground by Wilson near the Ravens’ sideline. He spent some time in the medical tent but never missed a play. Then, in the fourth, Wilson was the one chasing down Odell Beckham Jr. after Beckham’s 51-yard catch; Beckham landed hard on the ground and was forced to miss the rest of the game with a shoulder injury that he didn’t think was too significant.
However, Harbaugh classified the tackle on Andrews as a “hip-drop” tackle – when a defender’s hip falls onto a player’s lower leg in a compromising position.
“It’s a tough attack. “Is it even necessary in this situation?” Harbaugh said. “That (Jackson) on the sideline – there are always plays that you send to the league.”
The situation is bleaker for Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen, a defensive player himself.
“I hate that Mark is hurt. “I’m praying for him,” Queen said. “At the end of the day, if I play football or play a tackling sport, I don’t think a hip drop tackle is that bad.”
The Bengals declined to make Wilson available when asked by a USA TODAY reporter.