ATLANTA - After his most dynamic game in three years as a Raven, receiver Travis Taylor was as adamant as ever in declaring how statistics don't define him.
Taylor caught four passes for a career-high 127 yards and a touchdown from backup quarterback Jeff Blake in the Ravens' 20-17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome yesterday.
It was the second straight impressive performance for Blake and Taylor, who had a career-high seven receptions a week ago against Pittsburgh.
"The media is going to say what they want to say, that I had a good game, the best game of my career," Taylor said. "But I don't think so, because it really is not about the personal attributes. It's all about winning and losing. If I'm doing my job blocking downfield and we get the win, then I can say it's one of my best games. But in a loss, I really can't say that."
Taylor was left to bemoan not having one final opportunity to at least tie the game late in the fourth quarter, when the Falcons ran the final 4:53 off the clock.
"You want to always have a chance to go out and get the win in the last two minutes," Taylor said. "That's what it's all about, who can show up in crunch time."
Taylor, though, showed up throughout the rest of the game and even displayed ability as a deep threat rarely seen since the Ravens made him the 10th selection of the 2000 draft.
With five minutes left in the second quarter, Blake hit Taylor, who had sprinted up the sideline and made the catch over Falcons cornerback Allen Rossum for a 64-yard completion to the Falcons' 27. Atlanta challenged whether Taylor stepped out of bounds along the sideline before the catch, but the play stood.
It was the longest completion of the season and the longest catch of Taylor's career.
"We knew if I could hold the ball a little longer, I could hold the safety on the inside," Blake said. "T.T. going down the sideline, I just tried to put enough air under it so he could go get it. It was long, far and high."
The play set up an eventual 7-yard touchdown pass on a slant to Taylor with two minutes left in the half that cut the Falcons' lead to 17-10. It may have also established Taylor, whose reputation as a big-play receiver at the University of Florida has taken a hit over the years, as a guy that can, indeed, get open deep.
"It's a lot that goes into that," Blake said. "One thing is having the confidence in who's throwing the ball downfield. Another thing is calling it and being confident that the guy you are throwing it to is going to make the play."
Regardless of his rising reputation, the long reception, the touchdown grab and the perfectly run corner route that netted a 38-yard completion in the first drive of the game, Taylor did not rank this as one of his best performances.
"I can remember when Jamal [Lewis] rushed for over 100 yards, that was my best game - blocking downfield when Jamal made some long runs," Taylor said. "That's what it's all about, not about one person doing good, but the team doing good.
"People look at one thing: How many receiving yards do you have?" Taylor said? "But how many blocks did you get to spring a running back? After another receiver catches the ball, how many blocks did you get then? That's what's it's all about, having that all-around game. Receiving yards are overrated."