The Mark Andrews-Lamar Jackson connection is something special, but it's become clear the past few weeks that Andrews is elite no matter who is throwing him the ball.
With third-stringer Josh Johnson at quarterback, Andrews still went off for eight catches for 125 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 41-21 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
It's a third-straight 100-yard game for Andrews, who was named the AFC's starting Pro Bowl tight end last week and proved, once again, why.
"He's different. Mark Andrews is a monster," Johnson said. "Just seeing it in practice and then playing with him in the game, he's a great safety net to have. He's been doing it since he stepped on the field in the league and he's only going to continue to do it. He's a blessed one."
Andrews helped get the Ravens offense moving with a 17-yard gain on the second play of the game. He converted a third-and-10 with a 28-yard toe-tapping catch that led to another touchdown. On his 18-yard touchdown, Andrews split a pair of defenders (who were flagged for holding) before lunging for the end zone.
Andrews posted 11 catches for 115 yards in Cleveland, almost all after Jackson was sidelined by an ankle injury. The following week, with Tyler Huntley as the starter, Andrews posted 10 catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns.
This week was a tougher challenge considering Johnson was signed just 10 days earlier and only had one practice with first-team reps. Andrews gave Johnson credit for getting ready to play.
"Josh Johnson, you have to tip your hat to him," Andrews said. "I told him, 'You've got to stand on what you did today because that was pretty dang impressive.'"
Andrews has already set the Ravens' single-season record for most yards by a tight end, surpassing Todd Heap. With two games to go, Andrews has 1,187 receiving yards – just 14 yards short of wide receiver Michael Jackson's single-season franchise record of 1,201 receiving yards in 1996.
Andrews doesn't have his eyes on the record books, however, with the Ravens no longer in control of their playoff destiny.
"It's time to start winning some games. That's where my head's at," Andrews said. "It sucks to be on this losing streak, but from the top down, we've got guys that are going to go to war, that are going to go to work. When you've got that, you're going to turn things around."
