THOUSAND OAKS — Rams rookie tight end Davis Allen caught the screen pass around the Baltimore Ravens’ 10-yard line. He had two lead blockers in front of him, but three purple jerseys to beat. So he lowered his shoulder and bulldozed his way into the end zone.
As he looked up from the ground, he saw a yellow flag on the field but no arms raised over the referee’s head. So he asked center Coleman Shelton, on the ground next to him, if it was a touchdown.
Indeed it was, the first of Allen’s NFL career, and his teammates swarmed around him to celebrate.
“I was super thankful and just super pumped,” Allen said. “It was a great moment, something I won’t forget.”
Allen, a fifth-round draft pick out of Clemson, had to wait for this moment. Through the first six games of the season, he played a total of seven offensive snaps, six of which he was deployed as a run blocker. It wasn’t until Week 12 that he made his first career catch.
But he took the time to pick the brains of the veterans in the tight end room, particularly Tyler Higbee, and stayed consistent at practice.
“I think a lot of our rookies possess the maturity and a security in themselves that serve them really well,” head coach Sean McVay said. “It’s not too big for him. He’s just got a great look in his eye and a great ability to be coachable, receptive to the things that you’re asking. And he’s got great, soft hands. He’s made, really, some big-time catches for us.”
His first catch against the Arizona Cardinals provided the Rams a critical third-down conversion. Then against the Ravens with Higbee out with a neck injury, Allen was targeted five times, coming down with four catches, including a third-and-long conversion in which he tried to leap over a tackler to pick up the extra yards.
After the game, Allen said his phone had blown up with messages, particularly from his older brother. Baltimore was close enough to his home state of Georgia that his parents and a childhood friend were able to make the trip to see his first career touchdown in person.
“Just a lot of hugs,” Allen said.
STAYING CONSISTENT
The Rams are preparing to play two games in five days, first on Sunday against the Washington Commanders and then next Thursday against the New Orleans Saints.
But the team is staying consistent in its week of preparation ahead of the Washington game. Wednesday was a jog-through day, the same as last week, while the Rams will get in a full-speed practice on Thursday.
“This late in the season, you always want to be cognizant of what your weekly rhythm looks like and how you adjust and alter it,” McVay said. “You’re not naive to the fact that that’s coming up on the horizon but we want to just be in the moment, be present.”
INJURY REPORT
Right tackle Rob Havenstein (groin) did not participate in Wednesday’s jog-through. McVay said Havenstein pushed to re-enter the Ravens game after suffering the soft-tissue injury, but the Rams opted to go conservative.
With the condensed two-game stretch coming up, the Rams will take that into account as they decide on Havenstein’s availability against Washington.
“Those are some of the things that you have to weigh and consider,” McVay said. “But if a guy’s able to go, then you’re saying, ‘Alright, he should be ready to go and then he should be ready to turn over for Thursday.’ But do you push that limit knowing how quickly that next game is, especially when you’re right on that fringe? Those are things that we talk about with [head trainer Reggie Scott].”
McVay said the team is hopeful that receiver Tutu Atwell (concussion) can be cleared to play on Sunday. Higbee (neck) was back as a limited participant in practice.
