Tylan Wallace leaps into the end zone to score a touchdown on a 76-yard punt return in overtime to give the Ravens a 37-31 win over the Rams on Sunday in Baltimore. Terrance Williams/Associated Press
BALTIMORE — Tylan Wallace returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown in overtime to lift the Baltimore Ravens to a 37-31 victory over Los Angeles on Sunday, snapping the Rams’ three-game winning streak.
Wallace, who committed a crucial penalty on special teams earlier in the game that led to points for Los Angeles (6-7), eluded a couple of tackles after fielding the punt and stayed on his feet when Shaun Jolly made a diving attempt at him along the left sideline.
The Ravens (10-3) remained atop the AFC standings, a half-game ahead of Miami. The Dolphins host Tennessee on Monday night.
Wallace was returning that punt after the Ravens lost Devin Duvernay, their main return man, earlier in the game with back issues. Wallace punctuated the winning touchdown with a leap into the end zone before the Ravens mobbed him in the corner.
Lamar Jackson and Matthew Stafford threw three touchdown passes apiece, overcoming wet conditions and dropped passes in a game that was high scoring yet sloppy. Each offense went three-and-out in overtime before the final Los Angeles punt.
It was a crushing way to lose for the Rams, who worked their way into the thick of the NFC playoff race with their recent winning streak.
Jackson’s 21-yard touchdown strike to Zay Flowers with 1:16 remaining – and his 2-point conversion pass to Flowers – put Baltimore up 31-28. Stafford then guided the Rams into position to take multiple shots to the end zone, and when that failed, Lucas Havrisik made a 36-yard field goal with 7 seconds left to force OT.
49ERS 28, SEAHAWKS 16: Deebo Samuel scored on a catch and a run and San Francisco (10-3) won its 11th straight division game, beating Seattle (6-7) in Santa Clara, California.
Samuel had his second straight game with multiple touchdowns to lead San Francisco to the brink of winning back-to-back NFC West titles for the first time since 2011-12. The Niners lead the Seahawks and Rams by four games with four to play and hold the tiebreaker over Seattle.
Seattle has lost four straight games for the first time in 14 seasons under Pete Carroll and has lost five in a row to the 49ers for the first time.
BROWNS 31, JAGUARS 27: Joe Flacco threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns in his home debut for Cleveland, and the Browns survived a late rally by Trevor Lawrence and visiting Jacksonville.
The 38-year-old Flacco, who was only signed three weeks ago by the Browns (8-5), delivered the kind of performance he had almost annually as a visitor with Baltimore. Flacco went 26 of 45 and improved to 10-2 as a starter in Cleveland.
Lawrence played despite spraining his right ankle Monday night. He threw a season-high three interceptions before bringing the Jaguars (8-5) back in the fourth quarter.
VIKINGS 3, RAIDERS 0: Minnesota and Las Vegas played the lowest-scoring NFL game in 16 years, with Greg Joseph’s 36-yard field goal with 1:57 left giving the Vikings (7-6) a victory over the Raiders (5-8) in Las Vegas.
It was the first 3-0 game since Pittsburgh beat Miami on Nov. 26, 2007, the third in the past 40 years and the seventh in the Super Bowl era.
NOTES
OBIT: Three-time Pro Bowl tight end Frank Wycheck, who threw the lateral that started the “Music City Miracle” launching the Tennessee Titans’ run to the franchise’s lone Super Bowl appearance, has died. He was 52.
Wycheck died at his Chattanooga home after an apparent fall where he hit his head Saturday morning, according to a statement from his family released through the Legacy consulting firm. His family said Sunday “with great sadness” that Wycheck was found Saturday afternoon.
His family will be following Wycheck’s wishes to work with experts for CTE research and on-going brain injury (TBI). Funeral services have not been scheduled yet.
TEXANS: C.J. Stroud is in the concussion protocol after injuring his head in the final minutes of Houston’s 30-6 loss to the New York Jets.
The Texans are uncertain if their star rookie quarterback will be ready for next Sunday’s game against AFC South-rival Tennessee.
“We’ll see how he progresses throughout the week,” Houston Coach DeMeco Ryans said.
Stroud left with 6:30 remaining when he was hit by Quinnen Williams after he completed a 6-yard pass to John Metchie, fell backward and his head appeared to bounce off the MetLife Stadium turf. He was examined briefly on the sideline before he walked to the locker room. The Texans announced Stroud was done for the game and Davis Mills replaced him.
VIKINGS: Wide receiver Justin Jefferson was taken to a hospital after being hit in the chest during Minnesota’s 3-0 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, but he returned to Allegiant Stadium and then flew home with the team.
“Feel pretty encouraged about the early news on Justin,” Coach Kevin O’Connell said. “We’ll have to see on a short week how’s able to turn over from this.”
Minnesota plays at Cincinnati on Saturday.
O’Connell said Jefferson got X-rays to make sure there wasn’t internal damage after he was injured in the second quarter.
“I thought the doctors did a great job of doing what they should in the moment, which is making sure we avoid some potentially serious things,” O’Connell said. “From what I’ve been told, it looks like we avoided any significant thing there.”
Jefferson, the 2022 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year, took a shot from safety Marcus Epps while going high to catch a 15-yard pass. There was no flag for hitting a defenseless receiver.
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