In his first comments since a costly performance in the Ravens’ season-ending loss to the Buffalo Bills, tight end Mark Andrews vowed Thursday that he would “refuse to let the situation define me.”

Andrews lost a fumble and dropped a would-be game-tying 2-point conversion in the fourth quarter of the Ravens’ AFC divisional-round game Sunday at Highmark Stadium. He did not speak to the media after the 27-25 loss or during the team’s locker room clean-out Monday. Andrews wrote on Instagram that “the shock and disappointment are unlike anything I’ve felt before.”

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“It’s impossible to adequately express how I feel,” Andrews wrote. “I’m absolutely gutted by what happened on Sunday. I’m devastated for my teammates, my coaches and Ravens fans. I pour every ounce of my being into playing at the highest level possible, because I love my team and the game of football like nothing else. That is why it’s taken me until now to collect my thoughts and address this publicly.”

Andrews, a three-time Pro Bowl selection who leads the Ravens in career touchdown catches, has struggled in the playoffs, though injuries affected his production in previous seasons. One of the team’s most intense competitors, Andrews wrote that “this adversity will only make me stronger and fuel us as we move forward. I thank everyone who has shown me and our team genuine support these past several days.”

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On Wednesday, Ravens coach John Harbaugh and general manager Eric DeCosta backed Andrews, who’s entering the final year of his deal.

“Mark is a huge part of our future,” Harbaugh said. “And we love him, and we’re there for him. But if anybody can take a tough circumstance like that and handle it with class and grace and dignity and mental toughness, it’s most definitely Mark Andrews.”

Andrews also acknowledged the “heartfelt love and encouragement” he’d received in the wake of Sunday’s loss, with over $100,000 raised as of Thursday afternoon in a GoFundMe for Breakthrough T1D, a diabetes research and advocacy organization.

“Even when the moment seems darkest, perspective can reveal that there’s still a lot of light in this world,” wrote Andrews, who has Type 1 diabetes. “I’m now going to do my part to bounce back and contribute to it.”