Much of the blame for the Baltimore Ravens’ loss in the playoffs fell on Mark Andrews. The star tight end fumbled the ball and dropped a catch on a two-point conversion that would have tied the score against the Buffalo Bills.
Baltimore lost 27-25, and Andrews didn’t speak to the media after the game. He recently made a public apology on social media, but Chad Ochocinco Johnson believes the Ravens star wasn’t owed to do such a thing.
Chad Ochocinco Johnson Discusses Mark Andrews’ Public Apology
Ochocinco discussed Andrews’ apology with Shannon Sharpe on the “Nightcap.” The Cincinnati Bengals legend talked about how such things are part of the game and stressed apologizing to only the team members.
“There’s no point of writing an apology,” Ochocinco said. “There’s ups and downs, there’s obstacles, there are hurdles in a game, you don’t owe anybody outside of that locker room an apology. You talk to your teammates, you talk to your coaches, you know, and you let them know how you feel.”
“There’s no need to be apologizing publicly to everyone who hasn’t put in the work you’ve done,” Ochocinco continued. “They’re not there in training camp with you, they’re not there in the meetings room with you, they’re not bleeding with you, they’re not going on to war out there with you. They do support you because they are fans of the team, any apologies should be made within that team to individual players and nobody else if that’s what you see fit.”
Since being drafted in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Andrews has been one of the Ravens’ most consistent players. He has shown up in big moments for the team throughout his career, but unfortunately, it wasn’t his day against the Bills.
Lamar Jackson has also had his fair share of struggles in the postseason before this year, and since he didn’t face a similar amount of backlash from the Ravens fans, neither should Andrews. The team did waste a golden opportunity to make a run at the Super Bowl this year, but fans sending death threats is completely unacceptable.
Andrews Could Play on a New Team Next Season
As of now, the Ravens are projected to have just $9.5 million in cap space for next season. The AFC North team will have to make some moves, and restructure contracts before the free agency, and it might include moving off from Andrews.
The 28-year-old tight end has been a big reason behind Jackson’s growth into one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and regardless of his mistakes in the Divisional Round, the team would like to keep him. However, a change of scenery for the tight might be the best outcome for the team.
Andrews will get a fresh start somewhere else, and he could still be an impactful player. As for the Ravens, they could free up some money and use it to improve other areas of need. It will also open up a bigger role for Likely, who has shown the potential to become one of the best players at his position.