NFL/Prime Video
After getting released by the Carolina Panthers not even six months into his stint with the team, former Heisman trophy winner and #1 overall draft pick Baker Mayfield wound up with the Los Angeles Rams. And the rest, as they say, is history. Well, at least for now.
On Thursday, despite being in Los Angeles for just 48 hours, Mayfield led the Rams to a comeback win over the Las Vegas Raiders that was capped with a DIME of a touchdown pass to Van Jefferson in the closing seconds.
OMG. TOUCHDOWN RAMS!#LVvsLAR on Prime Video
Also available on NFL+ https://t.co/m65o43ZLpv pic.twitter.com/lpAk8bVIJ6— NFL (@NFL) December 9, 2022
Speaking to reporters in the days following the victory, Rams head coach Sean McVay has since indicated that Mayfield is going to be the team’s starting quarterback for the final four games of the disappointing 2022 season, which will see the defending Super Bowl champs miss out of the playoffs.
“Baker would give us an opportunity to run a couple of different things that maybe we wouldn’t have been able to present to them defensively otherwise just because of John’s health,” McVay said.
“So we want to get him healthy. Bryce is such a pro in every sense of the word and a guy that can bring a lot of different things to the table, but those guys continue to go about their business the right way. We’ll get John healthy and we’ll get a chance to, if he stays healthy, be able to see Baker start and lead the way for the last four games of the season.” [via Sports Illustrated]
The opportunity to start for a McVay-coached offense represents a remarkable opportunity for Mayfield, whose career as a starting quarterback in the NFL looked to be all but dead and buried just a few weeks ago.
Wow!!! I don’t think people can really comprehend how hard it is to learn a playbook… let alone find timing with wrs! Have a day Baker Mayfield
— Calais Campbell (@CalaisCampbell) December 9, 2022
Bro the rams just won this game OMG
BAKER MAYFIELD WOW!!
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) December 9, 2022
What Baker is doing tonight as a QB is impressive if you played on any level of sports let alone a NFL playbook I will give that young man his props.
— Mark McMillian (@MarkMcMillian29) December 9, 2022
To close out the 2022 regular season, Baker and the Rams will face off against the Green Bay Packers (another one of the league’s biggest letdowns this year), the Denver Broncos (arguably the NFL’s biggest disappointment of 2022), the Los Angeles Chargers, and the Seattle Seahawks.