For Mark Andrews, it was the Bills in January.

For Jim Palmer, it was the Brewers in October.

As different as their sports seem, though 43 years may stretch between these stinging Baltimore playoff moments, to Palmer, there are more than a few parallels.

Each of these Baltimore sports staples faced a win-or-go-home matchup for a team that had championship potential. And, in the critical moments, each one fell flat — failing to be the reliable player fans expect.

However, Palmer, 79, will never be defined by his letdown in the last game of the 1982 season, a matchup that ended the plucky Orioles’ season and led to Earl Weaver’s first retirement.

And as Andrews — the Ravens tight end who dropped a 2-point conversion in last season’s 27-25 loss to Buffalo — eyes a return to the site of his greatest professional disappointment, Palmer doesn’t think he’s destined to be defined by failure either.

“You just have to keep moving on,” Palmer said this week. “He knows that. It’s not like there’s any big mystery to it. … Mark Andrews is a real good player, an integral part of the offense. And, as good a player as he has been, he’ll figure it out.”

In January, Andrews was one of several Ravens who played below the standard he had set. After scoring 11 touchdowns during the regular season — passing the career franchise record set by Todd Heap — he again failed to find the end zone in the postseason. Against the Bills, a fourth-quarter fumble and the conversion drop were critical plays that spelled the Ravens’ defeat.

At the time, Andrews bottled up his fury for days before issuing a statement on social media. In the meantime, he was the target of online trolls. But Palmer was one of the Baltimore sports figures who offered support in a tweet.

“The Ravens will move on and Mark will be there to help them win,” Palmer predicted. For the Hall of Fame hurler, this is lived experience.

Palmer was a key part of the playoff push in ’82, going on a stretch of 11 straight wins in his starts that brought the Orioles back from the brink. On Aug. 13, they were eight games back. By Oct. 3, they had to win just one more game to finish sweeping the Brewers and go to the playoffs.

They were at home at Memorial Stadium. Weaver had announced his impending retirement. The city was feverish, sniffing a team getting hot at just the right time. And Palmer was a three-time Cy Young winner who had once pitched a shutout in the World Series. A week earlier, he had beaten the Brewers 7-2 in a complete game.

It seemed like a setup for triumph. It was, however, a disaster.

Palmer’s start was just one of the things that went wrong, but it was a big one. He was hammered for three homers, including two by Hall of Famer Robin Yount, who hit only one other home run off of Palmer in 79 other career plate appearances. Palmer remembered a mound visit with catcher Rick Dempsey, who advised him to pitch inside.

“I said, ‘I don’t have my best stuff today,’” Palmer said. “And then he [Yount] hit another home run.”

Final score: 10-2. Weaver got a roaring send-off from the home fans, but there was no more playoff magic left for Baltimore’s beloved manager. At the time, it was rough.

So what was that offseason like for Palmer in Baltimore?

“I just didn’t go outside all winter,” he said.

Really?

“No, I’m just joking,” Palmer said, laughing.

It was an unpleasant finish to a fun Orioles season, but the people of Baltimore did not hold it against him. He played racquetball and tennis in the city, and very rarely did he get guff from disgruntled fans.

Palmer, however, was in an advantageous position compared to Andrews. He was a two-time champion, a certified winner. For all of his accomplishments across seven seasons with the Ravens, Andrews has yet to put his stamp on a big postseason win. The 30-year-old was also subject to trade speculation throughout much of the offseason, raising the possibility that his last memory in Baltimore would be a bitter one.

Andrews said “of course” he’s watched the playoff loss in Buffalo over again, but he spent this offseason and training camp trying to let go.

“I’m a pro,” he said. “This is what I do. This is what I love to do. This is my whole entire world. So for me it’s about focusing, doing my job and just knowing the type of player that I can be in this offense and for this organization and for this city. I’ve never lost sight of that.”

But Palmer has no doubt Andrews will see the other side the same way he did. The next year, the Orioles won the World Series.

The Ravens are a preseason darling to win the Super Bowl. Palmer thinks this could be the year they break through — and it’s a lot harder to get over the hump if you’re dragging baggage behind you.

“You can’t dwell on negative stuff like that if you’re a professional,” he said. “It’s an important game, but it’s just one game.”