Baker Mayfield threw a 23-yard landing go to Van Jefferson with 10 seconds to play to cap a 98-yard drive, and the Los Angeles Rams’ brand-new quarterback led two TD drives late within the fourth quarter of a surprising 17-16 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday evening.
Simply two days after the Rams (4-9) claimed Mayfield off waivers from Carolina, the previous No 1 decide went 22 of 35 for 230 yards and snapped the defending Tremendous Bowl champions’ six-game shedding streak in dramatic trend.
“It’s been a wild 48 hours,” Mayfield stated after the sport on Amazon’s broadcast.
Los Angeles trailed 16-3 after Daniel Carlson’s third subject objective with 12:20 to play, however Mayfield engineered a 75-yard drive capped by Cam Akers’ TD run with 3:19 to play.
The Los Angeles protection stopped Derek Carr and the Raiders on the two-minute warning, however AJ Cole put a 64-yard punt on the Rams’ two-yard line. Undaunted and with no timeouts, Mayfield led the Rams downfield – with ample assist from an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Raiders’ Jerry Tillery for knocking the ball out of the quarterback’s palms after a play.
The Rams reached the Vegas 23 with 15 seconds left, and Mayfield promptly discovered Jefferson within the again nook of the tip zone. The drive included a contested 32-yard reception by Ben Skowronek, who completed with seven catches for 89 yards.
Josh Jacobs rushed for 99 yards and the one landing for the Raiders (5-8), whose three-game successful streak led to humiliating trend. Lower than 4 weeks after Las Vegas misplaced in former ESPN analyst Jeff Saturday’s NFL teaching debut with Indianapolis, the Raiders misplaced to a quarterback who joined his new crew lower than 48 hours earlier than the sport. The Raiders are simply the fourth crew in NFL historical past to lose 4 video games in a season after main by 13 or extra factors, based on ESPN Stats and Information.
The Raiders are the fourth crew to lose 4 video games in a season after main by 13 or extra factors, becoming a member of the 1998 Colts, 1996 Jets and 1982 Rams. pic.twitter.com/8a2bbblLwu
— ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 9, 2022
Carr handed for 137 yards with no TDs and two interceptions, together with a game-icing decide at midfield.
Mayfield was having a horrible season for the Panthers, however he improbably injected a spark into the Rams with a handful of massive performs and respectable drives regardless of minimal data of coach Sean McVay’s offense.
With McVay apparently giving detailed directions into his helmet earlier than every play, Mayfield instantly acquired the Rams shifting with three completions of at the very least 20 yards in his first two collection. Los Angeles had solely 26 such completions of their first 12 video games – the third-fewest within the NFL.
And as soon as he was warmed up, Mayfield accomplished 15 of his 20 passes within the fourth quarter, flawlessly directing his new teammates downfield for 2 scores.
After the sport, Mayfield was requested how Thursday’s occasions ranked in his profession highlights. “That is up there to be sincere with you,” he stated. “I didn’t suppose it was going to play out like this, however I’m certain pleased we coated the two-minute operation, my goodness.”
