OWINGS MILLS, Md. — It was the darkest of clouds hovering over the Ravens' brightest victory of the year. It is the injury that has men and women inside the Ravens' team facility rallying around one of the most important pieces on the offensive side of the ball.
Tight end Mark Andrews suffered a serious high ankle injury on the opening drive of Thursday night's 34-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. It is an injury that head coach John Harbaugh said looks season-ending.
The form of the tackle put on by Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson is one that has recently come under heavy criticism around the NFL. It is called a hip-drop tackle.
"It’s a tough tackle," said Harbaugh after the game. "Is it even necessary in that situation?"
The hip-drop tackle, as described by the chairman of the NFL’s competition committee, Rich McKay, is when "the defender is encircling tackling the runner and then swinging their weight and falling on the side of their leg, which is their ankle or their knee."
According to the Associated Press, NFL executive Jeff Miller said the hip-drop tackle increases risk of injury by 25 times the rate of a standard tackle. The league is assessing whether to start making the tackle a foul.
Still, not all players want the play banned - primarily defensive players.
"At the end of the day, we play football. I hate that Mark [Andrews] is hurt. Prayers for him, but at the end of the day, we play football. We play a tackling sport," said linebacker Patrick Queen. "I don’t think a hip-drop tackle is that bad of a thing. How else do you want us to tackle? Just let the guy run past you?"
Harbaugh suggested the team will ask the NFL for a review of the tackle on Andrews and the one put on Lamar Jackson in the first quarter that tweaked his ankle. Both were made by Wilson.
"There are always plays that you send in to the league to have them look at and interpret for you," said Harbaugh.
There is no interpretation necessary as to how the loss of Andrews affects the Ravens going forward.
"It’s definitely something we’re going to have to fill in. Like we said, it’s going to be kind of like, I don’t know maybe it’s like sand or water [where] everybody’s going to have to fill that hole in and just smooth it over, and that’s what they’ll do. Those tight ends [Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar] are going to do great. Those guys work hard every day, [and they’re] very talented, but everybody else is going to have to step up as well," said Harbaugh. "As a leader, he’s going to be missed as a leader. He's a fiery, emotional guy. He’s an energy-bringer every single day, so we’re going to have to all make up for that, too."
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