Ravens’ Mark Andrews ‘absolutely gutted’ by his performance in playoff loss to Bills

Mark Andrews is “absolutely gutted by what happened” in last weekend’s divisional playoff loss at Buffalo, the veteran Baltimore Ravens tight end said in a social media post Thursday.

A wide-open Andrews dropped a potential tying 2-point conversion in the final two minutes of the Ravens’ 27-25 loss to the Bills, failing to secure a pass from Lamar Jackson that hit him in the chest as he slid to the icy turf.

He also lost a fumble in the second half. Andrews did not speak to reporters after Sunday’s game or the next day while Ravens players cleaned out their lockers at team headquarters.

“It’s impossible to adequately express how I feel. I’m absolutely gutted by what happened on Sunday. I’m devastated for my teammates, my coaches and Ravens fans,” Andrews posted on Instagram.

“That is why it’s taken me until now to collect my thoughts and address this publicly. Even though the shock and disappointment are unlike anything I’ve felt before, I refuse to let the situation define me. I promise that this adversity will only make me stronger and fuel us as we move forward.”

A seven-year veteran — he and Jackson were rookies in 2018 — Andrews is the Ravens’ career leader in touchdown receptions with 51. He had a career-best 11 TD catches this season.

Jackson refused to blame Andrews for the playoff loss, pointing to his own two first-half turnovers.

Andrews was the target of abusive comments after the game, and Bills fans responded by contributing to his charitable cause, Breakthrough T1D, a Type 1 diabetes research and advocacy organization. Donors had pledged more than $110,000 through Thursday on a GoFundMe page launched by a 19-year-old Bills supporter.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl