'Quarterback’s best friend': Jaguars will have their hands full against Ravens' Mark Andrews
A tight end is a quarterback's best friend.
For Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, that player is TE Mark Andrews, who has quickly become one of the best players — let alone tight ends — in the NFL since being drafted by the Ravens in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
It's one thing to have a TE that can help a QB out at any given moment, it's another to have that player be your primary target on a down-to-down basis.
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Since being drafted in 2018, Andrews has accounted for 311 receptions for 4,017 yards and 34 touchdowns. His best season came in 2021 when Andrews earned First-Team All-Pro honors for the first time in his career after accounting for 107 receptions for 1,361 yards and nine TDs.
This season, the Jaguars have faced multiple QB-TE combinations that pose serious threats.
Most recently, the team faced off against arguably the best duo the league currently has in Kansas City Chiefs QB Pat Mahomes and TE Travis Kelce. They have also faced off against Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts and TE Dallas Goedert.
Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson is quite familiar with the TE position. He excelled utilizing them as the Philadephia Eagles' head coach with former Eagles TE Zach Ertz along with Goedert. He used the position plenty during his playing career, too, and has seen the concepts and has been up-close-and-personal with the Chiefs and Kelce.
"I’ve always said this, the quarterback’s best friend is a tight end. I think those three
teams you mentioned (Eagles, Chiefs, Ravens) all have the quarterback and the tight end, and those are dynamic guys," said Pederson.
"There’s some, not only familiarity, but there’s comfort in knowing where that tight end is going to be in the passing game for the quarterback.
'He's physical': Mark Andrews presents unique skillset due to size, toolbox
The Jaguars haven't necessarily struggled with the tight ends they've faced this year. Kelce got open on a broken play and scored a touchdown in Week 10. Ultimately, he netted six catches for 81 yards and a TD.
Against the Eagles, Goedert was successful at catching screens on a rainy day in Philadelphia, netting five catches for 72 yards.
Andrews most compares to Goedert in height and weight, listed at 6-foot-5, 256 pounds, but is perhaps more physical than his Philly counterpart.
That's where Jacksonville will need to raise up to the occasion, matching the physicality that Goedert brings to the table.
"Him being a bigger guy posses problems to the guys who may not have the length [to match up with him]," Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins said earlier this week, noting that Andrews' speed isn't necessarily what threatens a defense, but what he does with all of his tools as a whole.
Jenkins doesn't see his size as an issue at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds. Jenkins has been one of the most physical players in Jacksonville this season, netting 59 combined tackles and forcing a fumble.
"He works his toolbox, you know, his size and his length and he's physical as well. So you know, just it's gonna be that type of game. Some hand fighting ... just get into him and we'll see how it goes. " said Jenkins.
Ultimately, Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd says that Sunday will be about playing assignment football, making sure that everyone does their jobs against Andrews.
"You can tell he has a lot of pride in his game in the run game and in the pass game," Lloyd noted. "He's a good blocker, just as good as a receiver as well. All around a good tight end and somebody who's gonna be a tough matchup."
'He'll be their primary target': Jaguars understand the assignment
There's no question that Andrews is the go-to guy in Baltimore. This year, Andrews leads the team in all receiving categories, including receptions (48), receiving yards (551) and receiving touchdowns (five).
He has 22 more receptions than the Ravens' next top option, wide receiver Devin Duvernay, who has 26 receptions for 321 yards and three scores this year.
The offense, essentially, runs through Andrews when it comes to the passing game.
"I don't play for the team, but I can probably guarantee you that'd [Andrews would] be the primary target," Jenkins said with a laugh, "and whenever the ball does go to the other guys, we just make our plays."
What makes the matchup more threatening is Jackson's ability to run the football with authority and the Ravens' rushing attack in general. The Ravens rank second in the league in rushing yards per game at 162.8 yards per game.
That can cause teams to fear the run game, especially with Jackson under center, potentially opening things up in the passing game.
"His top guy is a tight end and they do things really well, so it's gonna be tough because he looks for him," Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell said this week. "It's like a quarterback looks for his number one receiver, he looks for him and he's a big target. It'll be a tough day for us."
There's no question that the Jaguars will have their hands full on Sunday at TIAA Bank Field. They return home after a week off thanks to a late-season bye week, refreshed. The plan, Jenkins says, is to play better in critical moments. That might come up a time or two against a physical Ravens team that plays everyone tough.
"We got to just be more consistent game-in and game-out. We got to be good when it actually matters."
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on Twitter at @Demetrius82.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars to face top duo in Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, TE Mark Andrews
