Baker was cooking.
Baker Mayfield, the much-maligned former No. 1 overall draft pick who was waived by the Carolina Panthers on Monday, capped off an incredible 98-yard drive in the final two minutes of the Los Angeles Rams’ game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night to secure victory.
After the Rams claimed Mayfield off the waivers on Tuesday, Mayfield jumped on a cross-country flight, getting just one short practice Wednesday before being thrust into the spotlight Thursday night at the Rams’ SoFi Stadium.
‘MAGA PARSONS’: DALLAS COWBOYS STAR BLITZED OVER BRITTNEY GRINER RELEASE COMMENTS
The Raiders, riding a three-game winning streak, were ahead 16-3 in the fourth quarter but were rocked by two late touchdowns, including Mayfield’s 23-yard touchdown pass to Van Jefferson with 10 seconds left. The 98-yard drive was the longest go-ahead touchdown drive in the final two minutes of a game over the past 45 NFL seasons.
“I don’t know if you could write it any better than that,” Mayfield said. “Obviously, we’d like to be a little bit more stress-free, but it’s a pretty damn good story, I’ll be honest with you.”
BAKER MAYFIELD MASTERCLASS pic.twitter.com/Hoo2dMqmz3
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) December 9, 2022
The Super Bowl champion Rams have endured a miserable, injury-plagued 4-9 season, losing six games in a row.
“What a quick study,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said. “He just got here five minutes ago and figured out a way to be able to do some special things tonight.”
Los Angeles trailed 16-3 after Daniel Carlson’s third field goal with 12:20 to play, but Mayfield got the Rams moving, and Cam Akers made a short touchdown run with 3:19 left, one play after he fought for a first down at the Raiders 1 on a gritty fourth-down catch.
The Rams’ defense stopped Derek Carr and the Raiders at the 2-minute warning, but AJ Cole dropped a 64-yard punt at the Rams 2.
Undaunted and with no timeouts, Mayfield led the Rams downfield again — with ample help from an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Raiders’ Jerry Tillery for knocking the ball out of the quarterback’s hands after a play. The drive included a contested 32-yard reception by Ben Skowronek, who finished with career highs of seven catches for 89 yards.
“Man, you forget what winning is like, and it sure is fun,” McVay said after the Rams´ first victory since Oct. 16.
Come for the Victory Speech, stay for @bakermayfield getting a game ball. ?? pic.twitter.com/tRwmm7ioTk
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) December 9, 2022
John Wolford ran the opening series for the Rams’ offense, but McVay then turned it over to Mayfield, a player he has long admired. Mayfield was having a terrible season for the Panthers, but he improbably injected a spark into the Rams with a handful of big plays and decent drives despite minimal knowledge of the playbook.
“There was kind of a shortened list of plays that I was really, really studying,” Mayfield said. “I will say we dipped out of that little list and got into some other things.”
With McVay apparently giving detailed instructions into his helmet before each huddle, Mayfield immediately got the Rams moving. Akers short-circuited Mayfield’s solid second drive with a fumble in the red zone, but Rams linebacker Ernest Jones made an end-zone interception late in the first half.
Mayfield completed 15 of his 20 passes in the fourth quarter, flawlessly directing his new teammates downfield for two scores.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“I love to compete,” Mayfield said. “I love this game.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
