SI

Ex-NFL QB Thinks Lamar Jackson Just as Culpable for Mark Andrews's Drop vs. Bills

He really ruffled some feathers with this one.

Brigid Kennedy

Chris Simms on Up & Adams with host Kay Adams.
Chris Simms on Up & Adams with host Kay Adams. / Up & Adams / Twitter / Screenshot
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It was the drop heard around the world.

On Sunday, Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews dropped what would have been a game-tying two-point conversion vs. the Buffalo Bills, eradicating his team's chances of a comeback and ending their Super Bowl run then and there.

It was a devastating moment, not just because of the responsibility you know Andrews feels, but because it was so unlike him. The 29-year-old superstar is one of the best tight ends in the league, and at the start of Sunday's game, hadn't dropped a pass since October.

His Ravens teammates and coach John Harbaugh have refused to pin the loss on him, despite the outside chatter. But one figure who has jumped to Andrews's defense (albeit in a sort-of roundabout way)? Former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, who thinks quarterback Lamar Jackson is more culpable here than initially believed because, per Simms, his pass to Andrews could have been better.

"It's too late," Simms said of the throw, speaking with Kay Adams on Up & Adams. "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. He double-clutched it and threw it like a dart."

Simms continued that, overall, this was the right play call, but "what I'm saying is, Mark Andrews in the meeting today in Baltimore is going to get a negative grade for the drop, but also in Lamar Jackson's meeting with his quarterback coach and the offensive coordinator, he's gonna get a negative grade for this throw. He is. It was late. He didn't throw it with the same authority he usually throws it. And then he ... he made it as hard as it could possibly be for a wide-open touchdown. And again, I'm not giving Mark Andrews no free pass here. He should have caught that, but I'm also telling you Lamar certainly could have thrown that better and made that a whole lot easier on Mark Andrews in that big situation there."

Watch that take below:

Simms's read on the situation was unsurprisingly met with some pushback from both casual social media users and industry personalities. "Ain’t no way in the world man! This is so unserious," said ESPN analyst Marcus Spears. "If you ever wonder why people are so protective of Lamar Jackson it is because of stuff like this," added Robert Littal, founder of BlackSportsOnline.

Yes, Jackson himself had a less-than-perfect game, for sure, but, as Pro Football Talk's Timo Riske points out, "there is zero chance this gets even remotely talked about if the Ravens win the game/the ball is caught."

In addition to the spiciness of his opinion, certain users were also quick to point out the differences between Jackson's career and Simms's, who played a total of one playoff game and 23 regular season games across five seasons in the league.

Whether or not you think Simms is right, it's true that the Ravens will have to think long and hard about what went into their Sunday night loss—and explore all possible options—if they want to make it further in the postseason next year.

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Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.

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