The Ravens are getting a big boost at the right time.
Star tight end Mark Andrews, who has been on the injured reserve with a left ankle injury since November, was activated ahead of the Ravens’ AFC Championship game against the Chiefs on Sunday.
The news should be a boon to the AFC’s No. 1 seed, who have looked like the class of the conference for the entire season following a league-leading 13-4 record, but will need all the help they can get against the Chiefs’ No. 2-ranked defense.
Andrews, a three-time Pro Bowler, had caught 45 passes for 544 yards and six touchdowns this year before going down with an injury during Baltimore’s 34-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 16 due to a controversial hip-drop tackle.
The 28-year-old pass-catcher has been one of Lamar Jackson’s favorite targets since 2019, and Andrews’ 4,305 receiving yards since that season rank third in the league among tight ends.
Jackson said Andrews’ return would be big for the Ravens offense in a press conference on Wednesday.
“It would mean a lot,” the quarterback said. “That’s my, like I said, bread and butter. Big bro. It would definitely mean a lot. We already got guys who have stepped up. Like Likely, Bate, OB, Nelly, Charlie (Isaiah Likely, Rashod Bateman, Odell Beckham Jr., and Charlie Kolar) — Got all these guys who stepped up. But with Mark and the type of guy he is, the kind of a player he is and what he brings to the table for us, it would definitely mean a lot.”
In Andrews’ stead, 23-year-old Likely has stepped up for the Ravens, posting a career-best 411 yards and five touchdowns, adding a score during Baltimore’s 34-10 win over the Texans in the Divisional Round.
Though the Ravens initially thought Andrews’ injury would be season-ending, he has been able to practice for the last two weeks.
Andrews did his part in the recovery process, bringing a hyperbaric chamber into his house to help expedite his return to the field.