Ravens TE Mark Andrews will miss Week 1 with quad injury - ESPN

BALTIMORE — For only the second time in his six-year NFL career, Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews will miss a game due to injury.

Andrews was ruled out of Sunday's season opener for the Baltimore Ravens with a quad injury. He had been listed as questionable after being limited all week in practice,

The only other time Andrews was sidelined with an injury was Week 9 of last season, when he was inactive with shoulder and knee injuries in Baltimore's 27-13 win at New Orleans.

Isaiah Likely, a fourth-round pick from a year ago, will start in Andrews' place. In two games when Andrews was sidelined last year (he was rested in Week 18), Likely totaled nine catches for 127 yards and one touchdown.

With Andrews not playing, it will increase the chances of Andrews being healthier for next Sunday's game at the Cincinnati Bengals, the two-time defending AFC North champions. Andrews has been quarterback Lamar Jackson's go-to target since they were selected by the Ravens in the 2018 draft, catching 242 passes from him for 3,195 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Last month, Andrews injured his quad, which caused him to miss six straight practices. He returned to the field on Wednesday, but he didn't finish practices on Wednesday and Thursday.

Andrews was noncommittal on Thursday when asked if he would play against the Houston Texans, saying the injury was «tricky» and God willing, I'll be out there."

Before last season, Andrews previously missed one game in 2019 for rest ahead of the playoffs and two in 2020 after testing positive for COVID-19.

Andrews becomes the second high-profile tight end to sit out Week 1. On Thursday night, Travis Kelce missed the Kansas City Chiefs' opener with a knee injury.