On a night when no one knew who the Rams’ starting quarterback would be, Sean McVay’s team actually kept things competitive against the Raiders. They can thank Baker Mayfield, who joined the team two days ago, for playing an incredibly impressive game, all things considered.
But the Rams did more than just keep things competitive. They managed to beat the Raiders in epic fashion. Needing to go 98 yards with 1:45 on the clock to win the game, Mayfield turned in an all-time drive.
He led the Rams down the field – with the help of a couple of Raiders penalties – for a game-winning touchdown, hitting Van Jefferson from 23 yards out to earn the victory.
Here’s a recap of the madness that ensued at SoFi Stadium on Thursday night.
Final score: Rams 17, Raiders 16
Game notes
- Wolford got the start at quarterback, but he didn’t last very long under center. Sean McVay pulled him after he handed the ball off three times on the opening drive, replacing him with Mayfield.
- Mayfield came in and immediately had a positive impact, completing his first pass for 21 yards to Van Jefferson. He then completed 22-yard passes to Tutu Atwell and Ben Skowronek, the latter of which was particularly impressive on third-and-13.
- Cam Akers played just about every snap in the first half until he coughed up a fumble in Raiders territory. He has a history of costly fumbles and this one probably took three points off the board for the Rams.
- Bobby Wagner may be in his 11th season and in the mids of a terrible 3-10 campaign, but he hasn’t let up one bit. He’s playing just as hard as he was in Week 1, going all out on every play. He finished with 14 tackles, which moved him into 10th all-time in career tackles.
- Penalties absolutely killed the Rams in this game. They were flagged seven times, with two particularly costly infractions coming on consecutive plays in the third quarter. The first was a questionable holding call on Rob Havenstein when Atwell gained 14 yards, pulling the Rams back to the 36-yard line instead of being at the Raiders’ 16. On the next play, Coleman Shelton was called for unsportsmanlike conduct, taking the Rams out of manageable field goal range. Instead, they settled for a 61-yarder, which Matt Gay missed.
- Mayfield finished the game 22-for-35 with 230 yards and one touchdown, not turning it over a single time. It wasn’t his best game ever statistically, but it was one of the best comebacks he’s had in the NFL.
- On the Rams’ game-winning drive, the Raiders were called for a pass interference and unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to gift the Rams 27 yards. Mayfield still executed the drive and got the job done, but the Raiders sure did help.
It was over when...
… Taylor Rapp picked off Derek Carr on the Raiders’ final drive to seal the win.
RAMS WIN! #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/57LLEPNjGs
— NFL (@NFL) December 9, 2022
3 stars of the game
No. 3 star: Greg Gaines
No. 2 star: Bobby Wagner
No. 1 star: Baker Mayfield
Play of the game
What else but Mayfield’s game-winning touchdown pass to Jefferson. Watch it in all of its glory again.
What. A. Throw.
.@bakermayfield's first TD as a Rams gives us the LEAD!!
📺 @NFLonPrime | 📲 https://t.co/4beUdmlymg pic.twitter.com/lrGpPjUMD4
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) December 9, 2022
What's next?
The Rams get a mini-bye before their next game, even longer than the traditional mini-bye after a Thursday night game. That’s because they don’t play until next Monday night against the Packers, a road game at Lambeau Field. So they’ll have plenty of time to get Baker Mayfield even more prepared for his next appearance, which will be his first start.
If he plays like this on two days’ notice, he should be even better in a week and a half.
