Mark Andrews' first NFL touchdown was so Mark Andrews.
First of all, it didn't take him long to reach the end zone. The 2018 third-round pick did so in just his second career game.
It came in Cincinnati, a "Thursday Night Football" primetime game against a division rival. It was clutch, a third-and-goal from the 1-yard line with 13 seconds left in the first half as the Ravens tried to rally from an early deficit.
Andrews started to run a shallow crosser over the middle, then wheeled back in the other direction along the goal line. Joe Flacco trusted Andrews to make a falling catch, putting it low and outside where only his big target could get it. The linebacker giving chase flipped over Andrews, failing to wrestle it from his arms.
Before celebrating with his teammates, Andrews blew a kiss to the Bengals crowd and motioned with his fingers to bring on the jeers. He's been back in Cincinnati's end zones several times since.
Andrews recalls his first touchdown like it was yesterday. Now he has 47, one away from surpassing running back Jamal Lewis for the most trips to the end zone in franchise history.
They both did it over seven seasons, with Lewis bulldozing his way into the record books from 2000-2006. They obviously did it by different means, as Lewis scored 45 of his 47 touchdowns on the ground and Andrews scored all his through the air. But many were done in similar ways – with physicality.
"I think down there [in the red zone], the strongest man wins," Lewis said. "His size and his ability to find the open window, that contributes to everything he's doing right now and why he's getting the touchdowns. He's a Raven."
Lewis is happy to see Andrews on the cusp of breaking his record. The now 45-year-old running back said he likes to see young up-and-comers "make their mark" (no pun intended). Plus, he likes the way Andrews plays the game.
Perhaps no touchdown better illustrated why Andrews is so dangerous in the end zone than his most recent one in Week 13 versus the Eagles, which even made Lewis, who was watching on TV, say, "Woah."
Seeing Lamar Jackson buying time, Andrews broke off his route and got in his quarterback's line of vision (though it doesn't seem Andrews ever left Jackson's sight). Despite several Eagles defenders being in the area, Jackson drilled the throw high and trusted Andrews to go up and get it. Andrews rewarded that faith, rising over two Eagles to pluck it off the top of their helmets. He celebrated accordingly, exaggerating that he had just head topped them.
With an 18.1% completion probability, per Next Gen Stats, it was one of the NFL's toughest touchdown catches of the season thus far.
Andrews said he thinks of the end zone like his "little playground." In that analogy, Andrews is the playground bully – equipped with the size and attitude to bloody the nose of his challengers.
"I feel like anybody [who] guards him, I have a shot at having a successful catch with Mark," Jackson said. "Him just being who he is since we first stepped foot in the league, he's just made my job a lot easier."
Everyone Has a Different Favorite MAndrews Touchdown
Picking your favorite Andrews touchdown is like picking a donut at the bakery. There are too many good options.
Jackson said Andrews first earned his trust in 2018 when both were rookies in a critical late season win in Los Angeles that helped vault the Ravens into the playoffs. Jackson dropped a perfect pass between two Chargers defenders, Andrews stiff-armed the safety to the ground and raced 68 yards for a go-ahead touchdown.
"Mark caught it and just hauled tail," Jackson said. "After that, it was like, 'Yes, that's my guy right there. That's my guy.'"
Jackson also pointed to a 7-yard Andrews touchdown in Cleveland last season in which Andrews Moss'd a pair of Browns defenders in the back corner of the end zone.
"That was dope, too," Jackson said. "There's a lot though. I'm just throwing you all little glimpses, but there's a lot. Mark is that guy."
Fellow tight end Isaiah Likely said his favorite was No. 46 a couple weeks ago, when Andrews reached over the top of a Chargers defender for a 6- touchdown early in the fourth quarter. The referee originally ruled him out of bounds and Andrews was fuming.
"I was like, 'Bro, give it 15 seconds. You're good,'" Likely said with a chuckle. "I was like, 'Mark, you snapped for that one.'
"It's really the want-to. Mark just has a knack for always getting open, always understanding where he needs to be to make a play. After that, it's how bad you want it. Mark shows everybody snap in, snap out, in practice, in film room, and obviously on the field what kind of dawg he is."
Andrews' favorite touchdowns were his pair in the fourth quarter of the Ravens' 2021 comeback win against the Indianapolis Colts. He also caught both two-point conversions, including one with 39 seconds left, to send the game to overtime.
"My grandma had passed that week, and so I just felt like I had something with me that game, and she was definitely looking over me," he said. "There's been so many plays. It's been fun."
A One of a Kind 'Weirdo'
Scoring touchdowns is nothing new for Andrews.
In his final year in college, the loaded Oklahoma offense led by Baker Mayfield had CeeDee Lamb and Marquise "Hollywood" Brown at wide receiver. Andrews still scored more touchdowns (eight) than both of them.
Before the Ravens and Buccaneers played earlier this season, Mayfield joked that Andrews wouldn’t talk to him because he’s a “weirdo” who “can't exactly separate friendship and football.”
While Andrews denied giving one of his best friends the cold shoulder, there's truth to the accusation that Andrews is all-business during the season. But that's part of what makes him so good, and why he's scored so many touchdowns.
"Mark Andrews is just one of a kind," Head Coach John Harbaugh said. "He's all ball all the time. Everything he does is ... You can just tell he thinks about [football] driving home [and] driving into work, probably while he's sleeping. He probably dreams about it. He eats football [and] sleeps football for breakfast, lunch and dinner. That's really who he is."
Safety Kyle Hamilton sits next to Andrews in the Ravens' team meeting and still tries to take tidbits of information from him. Just this week, they talked about managing the bumps and bruises of a season – something Andrews has played through a lot. Hamilton called Andrews "the pinnacle" of competitiveness and intensity.
"From the moment he steps in the building to the moment he leaves, there is a purpose with everything that he does," Hamilton said. "He's in Year 7, but you can tell that it didn't just happen overnight. He's built like that, and I feel like he kind of rubs off on everybody."
Andrews does it all for those moments reaching the end zone, scoring points for his team and making plays for his teammates.
"It's one of the best feelings," Andrews said. "It's one of the reasons I love this game so much is to be able to get in the end zone, score touchdowns. It's just an incredible feeling."
He's Not Done
After his Ravens days were done following the 2006 season, Lewis went on to score 15 more touchdowns as a Cleveland Brown. There was more left in the tank.
It's not that long ago that some Ravens fans were questioning Andrews' future in Baltimore. Banged up in training camp and coming off a scary car accident, Andrews got off to a slow start to the season with six catches in the first four weeks. He had back-to-back games without a catch for the first time in his career.
But Andrews has reclaimed his spot as the Ravens' top dog, catching seven touchdowns over the past eight games.
The Ravens are loaded with offensive weapons this season but once again, Andrews leads the team in touchdown receptions, with Rashod Bateman two behind. Andrews' season high in receiving yards this year is 68, but he's still finding the end zone.
"There's been a lot and I'm enjoying every second," Andrews said. "I'm hoping to get a lot more."
Last year at this time, Andrews was doing everything he could to rehab his fractured leg and get back on the field in the playoffs. The fact that he even made it back for the AFC Championship at all was incredible.
Now he's healthy, coming off the bye, and eager to help the Ravens make a run in the final four regular-season games and in the playoffs. More than records, Andrews wants a Super Bowl.
"You know, anytime you break something like that, it's a team thing. I've been blessed by so many great teammates around here and being in this organization," Andrews said.
"I feel like this team is just going to start hitting our stride. I'm just incredibly thankful and taking it day by day, trying to make plays for this team and help the team win."
