- Did the NFL just hand the Chiefs a huge advantage against the Ravens in the AFC title game?
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The Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs are set for a huge showdown on Sunday, with the winner heading for Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas on Feb. 11. From Lamar Jackson and Zay Flowers on one sideline to Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce on the other, this AFC Championship Game will feature no shortage of high-flying offensive weapons -- and another star could be added to the mix as he returns from injury.
Tight end Mark Andrews is expected to play a part in Sunday's decisive game at M&T Bank Stadium as he enters the final stages of his recovery from what was expected to be a season-ending ankle injury. The addition of Andrews to Baltimore's offense could keep Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo up nights as he figures out a way to for this newest wrench in the plan.
Mark Andrews is ready to go
NFL insider Ian Rapoport on Wednesday reported that Andrews should be available for head coach John Harbaugh and the Ravens on Sunday as they seek to return to the Super Bowl for the first time in more than a decade.
Andrews suffered a left ankle fracture during Baltimore's win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 16 and has not been available since. The Ravens motored through to the end of the regular season without the former All-Pro, winning five of their final six games to claim the AFC North title and the conference's #1 seed. Baltimore also eased past the Houston Texans in the divisional round, winning 34-10 as Andrews continued to ramp up his training regimen.
Andrews has been selected to the Pro Bowl three times with Jackson as his quarterback and is two seasons removed from a massive 107-catch, nine-touchdown season in which he recorded a career-high 1,361 receiving yards for the Ravens.
Ravens remain confident in Likely
Although Andrews' status has been upgraded for Sunday, he may not play the majority of offensive snaps as he shakes off any lingering rust. As such, Harbaugh on Wednesday kept the faith in backup tight end Isaiah Likely, whose role has grown in Andrews' absence to where he too is a viable threat for the Chiefs' defense.
Likely, a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, has hauled in six touchdowns in his past six games -- including one last week against the Texans. The Coastal Carolina product has caught just six es over the past three games, but four have been touchdowns as his threat in the red zone continues to grow.