Ravens tight end Mark Andrews fractured his fibula and sustained ligament damage in his left ankle during a Nov. 16 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Less than nine weeks later, Andrews was a full participant at Baltimore’s practice Wednesday, keeping alive the possibility that the three-time Pro Bowl selection could play in Saturday’s divisional-round playoff game against the Houston Texans.
“I think it’s how I feel at the end of the day,” said Andrews in his first comments since sustaining the injury in Week 11. “Just knowing how good this team is, how good our players are, how good our tight ends are, if I feel like I’m going to be helpful to the team, I’ll go. If I feel like I’m close but not there, I’ll let these guys go and hopefully get that next weekend.”
When Andrews first got hurt, Ravens coach John Harbaugh kept the door open for his return this season but said it would take Baltimore making a deep playoff run. Andrews, who had surgery on Nov. 21, returned to practice on a limited basis last Friday. He was again limited Tuesday before being upgraded to a full participant Wednesday.
Andrews said that he’s done everything possible, including spending time in a hyperbaric chamber that he borrowed from his girlfriend’s family’s house, to accelerate the healing.
“These guys had a plan together for me,” Andrews said. “All I had to do was come here every day and work and get better and better. It’s gotten a lot better week by week. We’ve made a lot of progress.”
Andrews, 28, has been one of the most productive tight ends in the NFL when healthy. He had 45 catches for 544 yards and six touchdowns before the injury. Two seasons ago, he was a first-team All-Pro after catching 107 passes for 1,361 yards.
Second-year tight end Isaiah Likely has flourished in Andrews’ absence, catching 21 balls for 322 yards and five touchdowns in six games. The Ravens went 5-1 in Andrews’ absence.
Required reading
- The Ravens have had things fall into place this season. Now it’s time to capitalize
- Ravens WR Rashod Bateman hasn’t had his breakout, but he’s made several breakthroughs
- Projecting each NFL playoff team’s odds to win Super Bowl, with divisional matchup analysis
(Photo: Jessica Rapfogel / USA Today)
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