Rams push Ravens to overtime, but fall short on walk-off punt return

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Eric Williams

NFC West Writer

Sean McVay knows there are no moral victories in a bottom-line league like the NFL.

So the fact that his team lost a hard-fought, 37-31 overtime game to the Baltimore Ravens on a 76-yard punt return for a score by Tylan Wallace is not lost on him. Coincidentally, the last time these two teams played overtime, the Ravens won by the exact same score, 37-31 in 1996 — Baltimore’s third victory in franchise history.

The Ravens improved to 10-3 with the win, taking over the top spot in the AFC on Wallace’s first touchdown as a pro.

The setback snapped a three-game winning streak for the Rams, dropping them to 6-7 on the year. However, in the midst of a retooling effort during which few NFL observers expected Los Angeles to field a team that could compete for a postseason berth, the fact that the Rams went toe-to-toe with one of best teams in the league and remains in the hunt for a wild card spot late in the year is a win for McVay’s Rams.

“I love the way that our group competed,” McVay said. “There’s a lot of things that we can learn from, but there were a lot of great plays made. A lot of resilience, a lot of grit and a lot guts shown by this team today. And I’m looking forward to being able to respond with them.”

The Rams lost a back-and-forth affair to Baltimore in a game that saw nine lead changes — the most in a game this season — where the team that had the ball last seemed destined to win this one.

Los Angeles did a lot of things right. The Rams ran the ball effectively, finishing with 128 rushing yards — Kyren Williams finished with 114 yards on 25 carries, topping 100 rushing yards for the fourth time in his pro career. The Rams bullied the Ravens up front early with nine straight runs to open the game, leading to a Lucas Havrisik 27-yard field goal and and early 3-0 lead.

Offensively, Los Angeles scored 31 points against one of the stingiest defenses in the league. Entering Sunday’s contest, the Ravens were holding opposing offenses to a league-low 15.6 points per game.

Along with Williams, the Rams got strong performances by some of their young, ascending players. Fifth-round receiver Puka Nacua continues to play elite football, finishing with five catches for 84 yards. Another fifth-round selection, TE Davis Allen, saw more time because of injuries to Tyler Higbee and Hunter Long. Davis had four catches for 50 yards, including his first career touchdown.

Rookie Byron Young notched his sixth sack of the season and journeyman cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon continued to resurrect his career with his third interception this season.

L.A.’s veterans also played well. Quarterback Matthew Stafford finished 23-of-41 for 294 yards and three touchdowns. His favorite target was Cooper Kupp, who totaled eight receptions for 115 yards and a score.

However, Lamar Jackson and Baltimore’s offense proved too much for the Rams late in the game. Jackson finished with 316 passing yards and three touchdown passes, along with another 70 rushing yards. Jackson improved to 19-1 against NFC teams, including a 10-0 mark at home.

And playing against the team he helped win a Super Bowl two years ago, Odell Beckham Jr. finished with four catches for 97 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown, shaking loose on a double move against safety Jordan Fuller.

Since Week 9, Beckham has totaled 17 catches for 343 yards and three touchdowns on 31 targets. He wore a sweatshirt dedicated to his former teammates during pregame warm-ups and his Super Bowl ring on a necklace after the game.

“It’s still love,” Beckham told reporters after the game. “These are guys that I shared moments with that every player in their career wishes for. So, it’s nothing but love on my side. I was at McVay’s wedding. I still have a little thread with Coop and Stafford. These are people that you keep up with and you always root for.”

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.