Mark Andrews is relishing the prospect of a new season, although he perhaps wouldn’t have chosen an immediate return to Buffalo.
It was at Highmark Stadium in January when Andrews made the biggest blunder of his career, dropping a two-point conversion that would have tied the divisional round contest with 1:33 remaining.
The Bills went on to win 27-25, leaving Andrews to cope with the crushing disappointment.
Asked about it earlier this week, the tight end said: “At the end of the day, this is a new season. It’s two really good teams going against each other. I’m going to play my part, I’m going to do my job to the best of my ability, which I’m excited about. It’s an incredible opportunity for this organization, for me, this team.
“This is what I love to do. This is my whole entire world. So, for me, it’s about focusing, doing my job, and just knowing the type of player that I can be in this offense and for this organization, for the city, and I’ve never lost sight of that.”
The Bills fans might not be as quick as Andrews to forget the fumble but Ravens coach John Harbaugh has no doubts the 29-year-old will cope with the flak.
“He’s been doing this for a long time,” Harbaugh said. “He’s been in a lot of tough stadiums [and] a lot of tough environments to play football. He’s a great football player. He works really hard [and is] very prepared for the game.”
Andrews could be in for a big night with the home team potentially missing two key pieces of their secondary in Christian Benford and Tre’Davious White through injury.
The match-up sees quarterbacks Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson go head to head.
It is the first time the two top players in MVP voting from the previous season have clashed on the opening weekend.
