The Ravens' run-heavy approach has meant that many skill position players have had to participate

Tight end Mark Andrews has been the highlight package for the Baltimore Ravens since their 35-10 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night, but not in the way you would expect.

There's Andrews making the final crucial block against safety Taylor Rapp to accelerate Derrick Henry's 87-yard touchdown run. There's Andrews pulling in two defenders in the middle of the field while running back Justice Hill beats a linebacker on the outside for a 19-yard touchdown catch. There's Andrews manning defensive back Cam Lewis while quarterback Lamar Jackson runs around him and scores a 9-yard touchdown.

“Mark had some phenomenal blocks out there,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “I mean, some dominant blocks.”

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Andrews is a three-time Pro Bowler due to his skills as a pass catcher. His NFL resume includes nearly 400 receiving yards and 5,000 receiving yards. But for the first time in his seven-year career, Andrews went without a catch in two consecutive games. He was only targeted twice during that time. His blocking, however, was on point.

The Ravens have rebounded from an 0-2 start with two straight wins heading into an important divisional game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon. Through four weeks, they lead the league in yards per game (429.5) and are fifth in points per game (26.5). They rank first in offensive DVOA (defense adjusted above average).

With 545 rushing yards over the last two weeks, the Ravens have found their offensive identity. A big part of that involves Jackson sticking the ball into the stomach of Henry, the NFL's leading rusher, or simply keeping it himself to either run or score on mostly short passes. In Sunday's thrashing against the previously undefeated Bills, the Ravens ran the ball 34 times and Jackson attempted just 18 passes. Of his 13 completions, eight went to running backs Henry and Hill.

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The offensive game plans of the last two weeks have been a success, and that's only because of the decision made by the players at the team's position level, who, given the choice, would certainly rather have the ball in their hands than with to keep him busy – Be a tackler with blocks. However, if you look at any of Henry or Jackson's notable runs over the last two weeks, you will undoubtedly see a wide receiver or tight end, often downfield, making a key block or series of them.

“Football is the ultimate team sport, and when you have a lot of players that are teammates, I think you have a chance to be a good team – that's what we have,” Harbaugh said. “As we've said before, if Derrick or the run game doesn't quite get going from a statistical (perspective), the questions will always be, 'Well, what about the run game?' The running game gets going and the questions will always be, “What's wrong with this player?” “This player isn't being targeted” or “You're not throwing the ball that often” or “Passing yards are off.” “It's an essential part, so we understand that.”

Back in training camp, Harbaugh warned that the team's offensive game plan would change from week to week, as would the players who had the most contact with the ball. There would be games where the Ravens would have a hard time getting close. There would be games where they relied more on their receivers. In other cases, it was the tight ends who were most involved in the passing game.

The plan at the start of the season was to be more balanced offensively and show that they could attack the defense in a variety of ways. The Ravens know their running game is productive, but can they create explosive passing plays when their running game stalls or they fall behind early like we saw in the last few playoffs?

Team officials believe they can. But over the last two weeks, the Ravens happened to face teams vulnerable to Baltimore's downhill running game – so offensive coordinator Todd Monken called for a lot of runs. In Week 3, the Ravens faced a Dallas Cowboys team that was banged up along the defensive line and couldn't stop the New Orleans Saints' running game from the previous week. On Sunday, the Ravens faced a Buffalo defense that was without its two best inside linebackers and often operates in a nickel or dime package with additional defensive backs on the field.

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The results? The Ravens ran 45 times for 274 yards and three touchdowns against the Cowboys and 34 times for 271 yards and two scores against the Bills. And Baltimore's cadre of pass-catchers, which includes wide receivers Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor and tight ends Andrews and Isaiah Likely, had very limited options with the ball in their hands.

In the last two weeks, these five players have scored a total of 13 balls for 20 goals.

“I've coached talented guys my whole life. This is a tough deal,” Monken said last week. “That's a hard sell when a big part of their pride and pay is proving their skills. I don't care what position you play, you want to touch the football. But it said a lot about these guys. No matter how long the game is, for three hours it's about the team. It's about what I can do now to help the Ravens win, and that's been an integral part of this organization for years. Then we can think about how we can involve other people afterwards. But in this moment, what I control as an individual player is what is called upon to play at the highest level.”

At least publicly, the Ravens players are saying the right things. Andrews had several interviews last week and predicted that “good things are coming.”

“We all do our jobs and there is no greed,” he said.

Andrews, the 29-year-old tight end who has been Jackson's favorite target since 2019, has had to make the biggest adjustment. From 2019 to 2022 – last year he was limited to 10 games after breaking his fibula early in Week 11 – Andrews averaged 7.4 goals per game.

Mark Andrews (right) didn't hit the target percentage expected, but he made an impact in other ways. (Terrance Williams/Associated Press)

In the first four games last year, Andrews had 20 catches on 28 targets for 225 yards and three touchdowns. During the same period this year, Andrews had six catches on nine targets for 65 yards and no touchdowns. He's also played 21 and 26 snaps over the past two weeks as the Ravens have opted to deploy a larger, more run-oriented personnel, meaning more fullback Patrick Ricard and blocking tight end Charlie Kolar. To put those snap counts in perspective, Andrews averaged just over 51 snaps in the nine games he started and finished last year.

“I could probably try to talk to Mark to make sure everything was OK, but he just looked at me and said, 'What are you talking to me about?' “Everything is good, everything is good,” Harbaugh said Monday. “Guys are competitive – everyone wants to make a difference because they know they are great players. Mark Andrews is a great player. All of these guys are special in their own way, but Mark is a star – there's no doubt about it. The fact that we're doing well offensively and as a team, and that part hasn't shown itself in the last two weeks, kind of makes me excited because that's another weapon that we have that's going to come through. It’s just part of the versatility of the offense that’s really important.”

Andrews isn't the only one catching less good passes this early in the season. Flowers, a first-round pick last year who led the Ravens in receptions as a rookie, has four catches on six targets for 30 yards over the last two weeks. In Weeks 1 and 2, Flowers totaled 13 catches on 21 targets, 128 receiving yards and one touchdown. Last year, Flowers averaged nearly seven goals per game.

Bateman averaged 3.5 goals per game last year, but the departures of receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Devin Duvernay should lead to more opportunities for the 2021 first-round pick. However, Bateman is averaging the same number of targets so far this year. Agholor's goals are also slightly below his season average last year.

Then there's probably the third-year tight end. When he began the season with nine catches (12 targets) for 111 yards and a touchdown in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, it appeared to be a breakthrough for a player who impressed in the second half of last season when Andrews was sidelined had to. But Likely has had just four catches on six targets for 56 yards in three games since then.

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However, as with Andrews, Flowers, Bateman and Agholor, there are many highlights from the last few weeks where Likely scored a long run with a block at the rim.

“The answer is always: the whole is greater than the parts, and the parts make up the whole. These guys get it – they’re big contributors,” Harbaugh said. “Mark Andrews will definitely have big games here when he catches the ball. Isaiah is going to have big games catching the ball, that's all of these guys. There will be a big passing game here at some point soon. It's hard to predict when it will be because games go where they go and the ball goes where it goes and it's just a competitive business. My point is that we ran the ball so well because everyone accepted the play that was being made at that moment and executed it so well.

“That’s what gives you the chance to be successful. If these guys are running routes and catching the ball, people are going to block for them too.”

(Top photo of Isaiah Likely and Derrick Henry: Sam Hodde / Getty Images)