John Harbaugh has an issue with the tackle that made the Ravens’ path through the AFC and potentially to the Super Bowl all the much harder.
Star tight end Mark Andrews suffered a “very serious” ankle injury that will likely end his season in the 34-20 home win over the Bengals, according to coach John Harbaugh.
Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson used a controversial “hip-drop” tackle to bring down Andrews.
“It was definitely a hip-drop tackle,” Harbaugh said. “It is being discussed. It’s a tough tackle. Is it even necessary in that situation? The other one on the sideline (involving Lamar Jackson) … there’s always plays that you send in to the league to have them look at and interpret for you.”
The hip-drop tackle is a technique the NFL is looking to potentially eliminate, and the league is conducting a study and gathering data, according to The Associated Press.
NFL executive Jeff Miller said in October at the league meetings that this form of tackle increases the risk of injury by 25 times the standard rate, per the AP.
Rick McKay, the chairman of the NFL’s competition committee, explained that a hip-drop tackle makes the runner “defenseless,” which leads to an ankle or leg being trapped.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith had an issue earlier this year with a similar sort of tackle by Giants linebacker Isaiah Simmons that caused him to leave the game.
“Whether it’s a tactic that’s being used or a technique, it’s creating an unreasonable risk of injury to a player,” McKay said, according to The Associated Press. “It’s our job to try to find a way to regulate that.”
Andrews suffered his injury on his second catch Thursday night with Wilson grabbing him by his left side and tossing him to the ground on the Raven’s first drive.
He did not return and finished with two catches for 23 yards, and his season likely ends with 45 catches for 544 yards and six touchdowns.
“Nobody cares more about the team and being there for the guys than Mark Andrews,” Harbaugh said. “This is going to be hard for him but we’re going to be there for him all the way.”
Losing Andrews is a big blow to the Ravens, who took a step toward an AFC North title Thursday but may have taken a step back in their Super Bowl quest.
The Ravens are expected to turn to 2022 fourth-round pick Isaiah Likely, and will lean on their running game along with receivers such as ex-Giant Odell Beckham Jr. and 2023 first-round pick Zay Flowers.
Baltimore (8-3) returns in Week 12 for a road matchup against the Chargers on “Sunday Night Football.”
“You say next man up, it’s not just the next player at that position, it’s all the men, it’s all the players stepping up and fill that,” Harbaugh said. “To replace a player like Mark Andrews, it’s going to take everybody, it’s going to take a team to do it and our guys will be up for the challenge and up for the task.”
