Ravens Star Ready to Go After Car Crash

After an "extremely scary" car accident earlier this month, Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews is ready to roll for the regular season.

Nov 5, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews (89) runs with the ball against the Seattle Seahawks during the third quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Rapfogel-USA TODAY Sports / Jessica Rapfogel-USA TODAY Sports

Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews luckily avoided any serious injury in an Aug. 14 car crash, though that doesn't mean the situation wasn't mortifying.

"It's extremely scary," Andrews told reporters Friday. "It was definitely a serious thing, and it kind of ... For me, it puts things in perspective; tell the people that you're around that you love them, and wear your seatbelt. You never know what's going to happen on the road. You never know what things might be thrown at you, what things might come at you, and I'm very blessed and fortunate to – one – have God on my side and to be wearing my seatbelt."

Andrews, 28, always wants to be on the field whenever he can, so missing the past couple of weeks was not a pleasant experience. Nonetheless, he pushed through and made it back to practice as soon as anyone could've reasonably hoped for.

"I've always kind of had that mindset of being resilient [and] moving forward," Andrews said. "You can't take things for granted, and for me, that definitely showed me that. Yes, [I'm] just moving forward, having a big picture in mind, and that's the team, that's winning games and trying to be the best player and best teammate that I can be for this team moving forward."

Last season, Andrews was on pace for a great year with 45 receptions for 544 yards and six touchdowns in 10 games, until he suffered a severe leg injury in mid-November and missed the rest of the regular season. He returned for the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs, but was clearly not 100 percent as he played just 18 snaps.

The three-time Pro Bowl tight end had been relatively healthy throughout his career, so after missing an extended period of time last year, he put himself through an intense offseason regimen to get ready for this season. Despite the crash, he's more than ready to get back out there once more.

"[We're] just focused," Andrews said. "I think every year, it's focused, and every year, it's determined, but just [with] the guys that we have this year, it's really fun. It's a fun group. It's a group that ... We fly around, we work together, we're always on the same page, and that's been the best thing about it – is the communication, the open communication of making sure we're all on the same page and moving towards the same goal, and I think this is probably the best year we've had of that."

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