Even Baker Mayfield was shocked about the ending of his Rams debut.
After the quarterback led Los Angeles to a 17-16 comeback win against the Raiders on “Thursday Night Football,” Mayfield said he was “completely shocked” over his opponent’s coverage choice when he hit Van Jefferson for a touchdown with nine seconds left to play.
The decision left Jefferson one-on-one with Raiders cornerback Sam Webb and he pulled in a perfectly thrown ball from Mayfield to put the Rams ahead.
“To be honest with you, I was completely shocked that they lined up in press coverage with 15 seconds,” Mayfield said during Amazon Prime’s postgame. “I really thought they were gonna try to pop out and play zone but they just stayed with it. Saw the weakside safety stay down and Van’s a great go-ball runner, go up and get it and he won off the line and did a good job.”
Mayfield’s TD pass to Jefferson tied the score at 16 apiece and set up Matt Gay for a game-winning extra-point kick. The Rams had trailed 16-3 earlier in the fourth quarter.
Mayfield’s 98-yard game-winning drive came after a whirlwind week. The former No. 1 overall pick was released by the Panthers on Monday at his request, and returned to action Thursday after the Rams claimed him off waivers.
The 27-year-old touched down in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, practiced with the team on Wednesday, and became an overnight hero for a struggling Rams team that lost six straight before his arrival.
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Mayfield went 22 of 35 for 230 yards and a touchdown with zero interceptions in his Rams debut.
After the game, head coach Sean McVay praised Mayfield in a victory speech before tossing him the game ball.
“To be able to come in here 10 minutes ago and help lead us to a victory, see you guys on Monday — Baker Mayfield,” McVay said.
As Mayfield celebrated in a huddle with this teammates, the quarterback yelled, “I’m happy to be home, man.”
Mayfield also received praise on the sidelines from Rams starter Matthew Stafford, who was placed on injured reserve on Saturday due to a spinal contusion.
Although Stafford is eligible to return in Week 17, head coach McVay said “there’s a good chance” he will not play again this season.
The Rams visit the Packers in a “Monday Night Football” matchup on Dec. 19.
