OWINGS MILLS, Md. — It is the play Ravens fans have no doubt been watching on loop since Sunday evening - Tylan Wallace’s game-winning, 76-yard walk-off punt return touchdown in overtime to beat the Rams 37-31.
The third-year pro was returning the first punts of his career and authored his first NFL touchdown and first OT punt return TD in franchise history. He had been in and out of the lineup over the last couple of seasons as he battled injuries and tough roster decisions.
"Tylan was nothing but hard work and positive attitude all the way through. Just praying for his opportunity and hoping for his opportunity and then he gets it and you see what he did with it," said head coach John Harbaugh on Monday.
Harbaugh broke down one of the most exciting plays you’ll ever see.
"The thing about the punt return is kind of the example of all the little things that go into it and all the individual battles that are taking place and the choices that have to be made. I thought the gunner ... We blocked the gunners really well the whole game – single and vice. Jalyn Armour-Davis's block on the first guy down the field was phenomenally good technique. We call it a ‘C patch block,’ [and] he did exceptionally well. The vice was really good. We also had a finish in the vice, we had a peel and a climb, so we picked up an extra block there. I thought guys made great decisions on the vertical trail blocks. Sometimes you have to go put your hand across and make it. We had that happen twice. One time, we had the hand all the way across, and Trenton Simpson cut the guy off. The next block down the field was Charlie [Kolar], who went to go for the ‘C’ patch, the front jersey, and ended up getting his hands in the front to just kind of seal them just enough and kept them off the deal without putting his hands on his back. That’s hard to do. He did a great job with that. Then downfield, Josh Ross had a great climb block where he saw the returner coming, he saw the angle on his guy, he let one guy go, climbed to the next guy and cut him off. Then the last thing was Justice [Hill]. Justice was the last peel guy, to have the wherewithal to run back up into the pile, but to put a foot in the ground and get the next guy up the field, I thought was tremendous. Those are all coaching points that we were work on all the time, but to see it happen in real life … And then of course, everybody saw Tylan [Wallace]’s run. That’s what made it happen. It was just a great run.”
That it was.
But it was not all roses coming out of Sunday for the Ravens. Wallace was only returning punts because of the injury to Devin Duvernay. Harbaugh said Duvernay’s back injury could cause him to miss more than a week.
The news is a little better on Kyle Hamilton. The second-year safety, having a pro bowl-type season, left the game with a left knee injury. Harbaugh said he is day-to-day and has a chance to play Sunday night when the Ravens travel to Jacksonville.
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