Davis Allen has been a non-factor for the Los Angeles Rams all season, largely because of the team’s depth at tight end. But their depth was tested in a big way on Sunday in Baltimore with Tyler Higbee inactive due to a neck injury and Hunter Long exiting with what appeared to be a serious knee injury.
Allen was the next man up and he absolutely delivered.
In his first extended look in the NFL, the rookie came through with a great performance. He caught four passes for 50 yards, including a touchdown in the first half that gave the Rams a 17-14 lead over Baltimore. He was targeted five times and the only pass he didn’t come up with was on third-and-9 in overtime, though he likely wouldn’t have gotten to the first-down line anyway.
His first catch of the game was a 7-yard touchdown grab, but that may not have been the most important play he made. After his third-down conversion in the second quarter was negated by a penalty on Kyren Williams, Matthew Stafford came right back to him on third-and-15, and he turned a checkdown into an 18-yard gain for a first down, which set up Lucas Havrisik’s 51-yard field goal.
Davis Allen goes airborne to pick up the first!
📺 @NFLonFOX | 🗳️ https://t.co/0NZzTbNGnn pic.twitter.com/mL0YKoRWnU
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) December 10, 2023
On the game-tying drive in the fourth quarter, Allen caught a pass over the middle for a 21-yard gain, putting the Rams across midfield with the game on the line.
Stafford thought Allen did an excellent job in his first long look as a pro, even complimenting him for going over the top with a hurdle attempt on his 18-yard catch.
“I thought he did a great job,” Stafford said. “Obviously, he’s a young guy in there. Played a bunch of snaps. Happy for him on the touchdown, great job on the long third down, just sending it down the middle there. It was a ballsy play, but it worked for him. I thought he did a really nice job. Those are some tough matchups both in the run game and the pass game. Those guys have first-round picks all over the place so I thought he did a nice job.”
Higbee’s status for Week 15 remains is unclear, and it remains to be seen if Long will be back anytime soon after suffering his knee injury. So for the time being, Allen could be the Rams’ top tight end moving forward.
