Chris Simms believes Mark Andrews shouldn’t have to shoulder all the blame for his crushing fourth-quarter drop in the Ravens’ 27-25 Divisional Round loss to the Bills on Sunday.
When dissecting the game-deciding play Monday during an appearance on “Up & Adams,” the son of Super Bowl-winning quarterback Phil Simms voiced that while the star tight end “needs to catch” the ball, the pass from quarterback Lamar Jackson was “late” and “not accurate.”
“A lot of people are going to be on Mark Andrews for the dropped two-point conversion,” Simms began his assessment as the play in question then appeared on the screen.
— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) January 20, 2025
“… Throw it, throw it! It’s too late, Lamar Jackson’s making $55 million a year, that ball needs to be on time, and it was not accurate. Mark Andrews needs to catch it, don’t get me wrong, but Lamar Jackson’s making $55 million a year and he double-clutched it and threw it like a dart.”
The former NFL quarterback-turned-analyst elaborated on his rationale again to host Kay Adams.
“This was the perfect play call. So we can’t get mad at [Ravens offensive coordinator] Todd Monken,” Simms, 44, said. “What I’m saying is that Mark Andrews in the meeting today with Baltimore is going to get a negative grade for the drop but also, Lamar Jackson’s meeting with his quarterback coach and the offensive coordinator, he’s going to get a negative grade for this throw. It was late, he didn’t throw it with the same authority he usually throws it, and then he threw it behind him, he made it as hard as it possibly could be for a wide-open touchdown.”
Jackson orchestrated an eight-play, 88-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter to bring the Ravens within two points of the Bills.
Andrews, one of Jackson’s most reliable targets, couldn’t haul in the pass.
Although the drop put the final nail in the Ravens’ season, it was a mistake-riddled night in Orchard Park that featured an interception from Jackson, 28, in the first half, along with a fumble. Andrews, 29, also fumbled in the fourth quarter while the Ravens were driving for the go-ahead score.
“We’re a team,” Jackson said. “…It’s not his fault. We’re not gonna put that on Mark.”
Andrews, who has played his entire career for the Ravens after being drafted in 2018, did not speak to the media Monday for the second consecutive day.
