It’s hard to imagine anyone more beat up about the Baltimore Ravens’ Divisional Round loss than tight end Mark Andrews. Everyone has bad games, but Andrews made multiple mistakes that cost his team a chance to move onto the AFC Championship Game.
Since that night, Andrews has experienced some pretty serious criticism from upset fans, and he needed a few days to gather his thoughts before releasing a well-thought-out statement.
Mark Andrews Says He’s ‘Devastated’ About Bills Loss
With 8:50 to play in the fourth quarter, quarterback Lamar Jackson hit Andrews over the middle for a first down and the ball was punched out by Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard. Buffalo recovered the fumble, milked five minutes off the clock, and padded its lead with a short field goal.
In the final moments of the game, Andrews was again targeted on a two-point conversion that would have tied the game, but he couldn’t hold on while falling to the ground. It was a gut-wrenching moment for anyone associated with the Ravens.
Andrews finally broke his silence about the drop on Thursday.
“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 wrote.
“I pour every ounce of my being into playing at the highest level possible, because I love my team and the game of football like nothing else. 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.”
Andrews had a tough start to the season but finished with 55 receptions for 673 yards and 11 touchdowns. Against Buffalo, he had five receptions for 61 yards but unfortunately couldn’t haul in his most important target.
While Andrews is clearly devastated, his post went on to talk about some positive that has come from this gut-wrenching situation.
Andrews Has Seen Increased Support For Type 1 Diabetes Organization
The tight end mentioned how much support he’s received in the days following the game.
“I thank everyone who has shown me and our team genuine support these past several days,” he wrote. “Despite the negativity, I’ve seen heartfelt love and encouragement, including from those who have generously donated to the Breakthrough T1D organization.”
The Breakthrough T1D organization is a global research organization for Type 1 Diabetes that Andrews supports. It has seen a large increase in donations from the Bills Mafia, who are known to donate huge sums of money to rival players’ charities.
Nicholas Howard, a Bills fan, organized a gofundme page where Bills Mafia could donate to the Breakthrough T1D organization.
Howard was hoping to raise $5,000, but the page has accrued over $104,000 so far.
“Even when the moment seems darkest, perspective can reveal that there’s still a lot of light in this world,” Andrews concluded. “I’m now going to do my part to bounce back and contribute to it. #GodBless”
While it’s sad that many fans have come after Andrews at his lowest moment, it’s encouraging to see an opposing fanbase be so generous and use a dark time to spread some positivity.