OTL: Andrews Back? One More Thing for Opponents to Worry About

It’s a victory Monday for the Ravens’ Flock, after Baltimore beat the Washington Commanders 30-23. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense put up 484 total yards and as a beacon of efficiency they picked up 28 first downs and were 6-10 on third downs. It was one of the most anticipated games of the year with Washington being as relevant in the NFL as they have been in the last 25 years.

Childs Walker of The Baltimore Sun wrote an article expressing the five things we learned from the Ravens win over the Commanders. Zay Flowers registered on his radar and Walker asserts that Flowers is a star receiver in an offense that doesn’t need him all the time.

The trick is that Flowers must be all that while knowing the Ravens’ offense might turn away from him for a half (he didn’t see the ball once after halftime against the Commanders) or even a whole game. That’s reality when there’s so much to be gained by feeding Henry, by throwing to Andrews and Bateman when they glide into big, empty spaces. He’s not going to see 10 targets a game like the league’s most prolific wide receivers. He has to find his contentment in the greater cause.

Speaking as a Flowers Fantasy Football owner, I can certainly appreciate his brilliance against the Commanders. This is such an insightful note by Walker though, the Ravens offense has different gears and they can switch between them like a professional race car driver. The Ravens saw a matchup they could exploit early in the game. They hit Flowers for nine receptions and he had 132 yards. He was only targeted nine times so that’s a perfect day at the office. Flowers being so prolific opened things up for the rest of the passing game. Just like when Henry makes the defense over-commit to the run game – when Flowers shines it makes life easier for everyone else. Once his job is done, his presence does the trick by itself.

The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec had a similar note in his article for The Athletic. Zrebiec wrote this about the Ravens offense:

The Ravens’ offensive versatility was on full display in a 30-23 victory over the Commanders that never felt in hand for the home team until the final seconds. The Commanders challenged the Ravens to pass the ball against a packed box and Lamar Jackson threw for 323 yards and a touchdown. When the Ravens needed to run the ball, they were able to do that, too, racking up 176 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

If it wasn’t Jackson beating man coverage to find Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Mark Andrews, it was Henry running through arm tackle attempts and picking up swaths of yardage.

The Ravens offense could do anything they wanted against the Commanders. If it wasn’t for an interception off the fingertips of Andrews, the offense may have had a faster start. The Ravens have a lot of fun tools to work with. Jackson is a MVP candidate. Derrick Henry is one of the best running backs in the league and is adding to a bid for later acceptance in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Zay Flowers is electric. Bateman is finally starting to do what the Ravens hoped he could do. The most impressive thing though was how the Ravens knew exactly what they wanted to do. This was a game where Todd Monken and John Harbaugh deserve credit because the game plan was nearly perfect.

Nathaniel Marrero of Sports Illustrated had more praise for the Ravens and their offensive prowess. Marrero’s article homes in on Mark Andrews becoming the old Mark Andrews Baltimore knows and loves:

Andrews took another step toward that with his performance against the Commanders, catching three passes for 66 yards and a touchdown, which was his first of the season. The former All-Pro hadn’t caught a touchdown since Week 8 of 2023 before Sunday.

With the game nearing halftime, Jackson found Andrews in the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown, giving the Ravens a 17-10 lead with 53 seconds left in the second quarter. Baltimore would lead for the rest of the game after Andrews’ touchdown, the 41st of his career, tying him for the Ravens’ record for receiving touchdowns.

Andrews’ performance comes on the heels of catching four passes for 55 yards in the Ravens’ Week 5 overtime win over the Bengals. If the three-time Pro Bowler can continue to stack solid performances, it’d add another dimension to an already potent Ravens offense.

It was an encouraging sign to see Andrews have this reemergence. He hadn’t seemed like himself much of the season as Ravens fans are used to him being one of the biggest weapons an NFL offense has to offer. Still, he’s been blocking well. Now he’s heating up in the passing game and I concur with Marrero’s point that this could add yet another element to the offense. The Ravens lost in the AFC Championship Game arguably because they didn’t have the versatility to beat the Chiefs’ defensive game plan on that day. Baltimore stacking ways to win is a good idea and it’s part of growing into the kind of team that can win a Super Bowl.

I’d argue that it’s actually a positive that Andrews has had a slower start to the season. Andrews has always played the role of a security blanket for Jackson. The fact that Jackson hasn’t forced it and doesn’t need Andrews to bail him out of tough spots is a huge sign of growth for the Ravens’ MVP. Jackson is getting more comfortable spreading the ball around.

Staying humble. @KingHenry_2 pic.twitter.com/dYPWeY8o43

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 14, 2024

Derrick Henry is saying all the right things after a big win like this. He stressed the importance of being humble and focusing on the week at hand. Henry in more ways than one continues to show his impressive leadership for this team.

Pretty quarterbacky pic.twitter.com/WlCXdmAv97

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 13, 2024

For those who prefer their quarterbacks “quarterbacky” this tweet is the perfect shot fired. Enough said.

.@ravens @Lj_era8 is he the MVP (again). The best QB; the best player in the @NFL ??? You have to have a serious conversation about it. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/zu9JXIyjqu

— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) October 14, 2024

Brian Baldinger has some high marks for Lamar Jackson. He asks if Jackson is the best player in the NFL. Having two MVP awards is a good sign that he might be. Having back to back performances like he had in Cincinnati and then against Washington is a great sign of that as well.

We are keeping it all about the Ravens today. They earned that. We will end on Adam Schein’s comments on Lamar Jackson.

“I just think that Lamar Jackson is one of the most special players in the NFL in the last 20 years.”

—@AdamSchein says Lamar Jackson is undoubtedly a leader of the Ravens pic.twitter.com/Bp8zRm1kVC

— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) October 13, 2024

There’s not much I can add to this without sounding like a broken record. You know how I feel about the MVP. It’s music to a Ravens fan’s ears. It’s a great victory Monday. Go forth and Caw!

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