ExtremeRavens Posted November 8 Posted November 8 Tylan Wallace is good for one improbable play a year. Last season against the Los Angeles Rams, the Ravens’ 25-year-old wide receiver broke loose on a 76-yard, walk-off punt return in overtime. He tip-toed the left sideline almost exactly 11 months ago for the first touchdown of his NFL career. That play, Wallace acknowledged late Thursday night after a come-from-behind 35-34 win over the Bengals, crept into his brain in a fit of deja vu as he raced down the same sideline to the same end zone wearing the same purple jersey for an improbable 84-yard touchdown catch that was the longest of Lamar Jackson’s career. It was one on a short list of game-altering plays that helped the Ravens improve to 7-3. Early in the fourth quarter, Jackson dropped back in the pocket on third down and quickly turned to his left, leading Wallace toward the sideline on an out route 7 yards past the line of scrimmage. Wallace caught it and shed a tackler. Then — because, as he joked, he’s been taking notes from Derrick Henry — he stiff-armed a trailing linebacker. And then another, his right heel barely evading the white out-of-bounds paint. Wallace, whose 115 yards on three catches were 84 more yards and one more reception than he had in the first nine games this season, wasn’t the only one whose mind fluttered back to last year. Cornerback Brandon Stephens had flashbacks as his head swiveled up field. He just wished Wallace repeated his touchdown celebration: a two-foot stomp and leap as if he were high jumping over a crossbar. This time, he looked like he’d been there before, swaggering over the goal line. “I feel like I’ve always known I can make plays like that,” said Wallace, a 2021 fourth-round draft pick out of Oklahoma State who was presumed to fall further down the depth chart after the Ravens traded for Diontae Johnson on Oct. 29. “It was just waiting for the right moment to show everybody else.” According to Next Gen Stats, Wallace’s expected yards after catch were 36 inches — 1 yard. He turned and burned for 78 more instead, the second-most yards after catch over expected on a reception since 2018. Wallace cracked into laughter hearing those figures. The touchdown highlighted a career day — his first 100-yard game. “A lot of these guys put in countless hours just to feel that and you never know when you’re gonna feel it again,” wide receiver Rashod Bateman said. “I love [stuff] like that. He works his [butt] off.” Ravens wide receiver Nelson Agholor, left, and Lamar Jackson, middle, celebrate with Tylan Wallace after the wideout’s 84-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter Thursday night against the Bengals. (Staff) Before Thursday night, Wallace had only two catches for 31 yards — all of which came in Week 5 against the Bengals. The back of his football card between 2021 and 2023 showed 67 receiving yards on seven receptions and no touchdowns. Even on special teams, he had only returned six punts and one kick in 2023. He wasn’t considered a lock to make the team this season or last. He now has two moments, immortalized in Ravens prime-time lore, both clutch scores in quasi-similar circumstances. Perhaps that’s why, on a monitor inside the locker room displaying a blueprint of their new color rush jerseys, it’s a player wearing Wallace’s No. 16. “I believe it’s just his little magic uniform,” Jackson said. “He comes through when the lights are on [in] prime time. Shoutout to Tylan because that was wonderful.” Added tight end Mark Andrews: “Just a dog and he makes big-time plays. Tylan doesn’t get a lot of love but he should. He makes big-time plays and he comes in clutch. That was just an amazing play. That’s all there is to it.” Coach John Harbaugh shared in that sentiment, displaying a wide grin at the lectern after a heart-rate-spiking win that earned Wallace a game ball. Even the 17th-year coach could only wrap his arm around his prime-time playmaker to say what deja vu he had watching Wallace speed down the home sideline. “He’s something else. He’s quite a player,” Harbaugh said. “I’d say he’s a little underrated. What do you think?” Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Tim Schwartz at timschwartz@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/timschwartz13. Ravens beat the Bengals 35-34 | PHOTOS View the full article Quote
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