Newly acquired Baker Mayfield rescues Rams with come-from-behind win over Raiders on Thursday Night Football

Baker Mayfield throwing against Raiders (courtesy Chester Fried Photography)

Controversial QB Baker Mayfield has had a crazy Week 14 in the NFL.

He wore out his welcome with the Carolina Panthers; was claimed off waivers by the Rams on Tuesday; had two days to learn the playbook and then against all odds, he played against the Las Vegas Raiders. And led the struggling Super Bowl Champions to a last-minute win.

Unbelievable is the word to say.

The 27-year-old, who’s career has taken a downward spiral after he popped off about wanting out of Cleveland, did not know he would be a hero with the Rams.

Against all odds, Mayfield ended up playing most of the game. The Rams trailed the Raiders from the start of the game. Las Vegas was up 16-3 into the 4th quarter. The Rams got the deficit down to 16-10.

Then the miracle was about to happen. LA got the ball on their 2-yard line with two minutes to go and no timeouts.

With :09 to go, Mayfield threw the ball 23 yards into the left corner of the end zone to WR Van Jefferson for the game-tying touchdown. PK Matt Gay completed the PAT and the Rams won a game that looked like a loss.

Been a tough season for the Super Bowl Champs. Injuries, bad performances and bad luck has them at just 4-9.

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THURSDAY NIGHT PREVIEW:
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (5-7) AT LOS ANGELES RAMS (3-9)

Week 14 of the 2022 NFL season gets underway on Thursday, December 8 (8:15 PM ET, Prime Video) as the Las Vegas Raiders (5-7) visit the Los Angeles Rams (3-9). The Raiders hold the all-time regular-season series advantage, 8-6, however the Rams have won four of the past five matchups. Thursday will mark the first meeting between the two clubs at SoFi Stadium. The last time these two clubs met in Southern California was November 13, 1994, when the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 20-17, at Anaheim Stadium.

Las Vegas enters Week 14 winners of three consecutive games, including a 27-20 victory over the Chargers last week in which they came back from a 10-0 first-half deficit. Quarterback DEREK CARR passed for 250 yards and two touchdowns in the victory, his fifth-straight game with multiple touchdown passes, the longest active streak in the AFC and tied for the second-longest active streak in the NFL. In his past five games on Thursday, Carr has totaled five touchdowns against zero interceptions with a 100.4 passer rating. With 20 passing yards in Los Angeles, Carr will become the third quarterback ever with at least 3,000 passing yards in each of his first nine seasons, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer PEYTON MANNING and RUSSELL WILSON

Running back JOSH JACOBS leads the NFL with a career-high 1,634 scrimmage yards (1,303 rushing, 331 receiving) this season and ranks tied for third with 10 rushing touchdowns. He has totaled 453 scrimmage yards (226.5 per game) and three rushing touchdowns over the past two weeks and can become the first player since EZEKIEL ELLIOTT in 2016 with at least 150 scrimmage yards in four consecutive games. Jacobs has recorded at least 100 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown in each of his past three Thursday games. Wide receiver DAVANTE ADAMS totaled a season-high 177 receiving yards with two touchdowns last week, his 20th-career game with multiple touchdown receptions. He is the sixth player with at least two touchdown receptions in 20-or-more games within his first nine seasons in the Super Bowl era. Adams has over 100 receiving yards in each of his two career regular-season games against the Rams and aims for his third in a row on Thursday with at least 10 catches and 170 receiving yards. 

Defensive end MAXX CROSBY, who leads the NFL with 17 tackles for loss, recorded his third forced fumble of the season last week and has a forced fumble in two of his past three games. He aims for his third in a row on the road with at least 1.5 sacks and has recorded a tackle for loss in each of his seven road games this season. Defensive end CHANDLER JONES led the team with a season-high three sacks in Week 13, his fifth-career game with at least three sacks, tied for the fifth-most among active players. Jones had a sack and a forced fumble in his last regular-season game against the Rams (December 13, 2021 with Arizona) and has a sack in three of his past four on Thursday.  

Last week, quarterback JOHN WOLFORD totaled 207 yards (178 passing, 29 rushing) in his second start of the season and running back CAM AKERS recorded his first-career game with two rushing touchdowns. Wide receiver TUTU ATWELL led the team with 48 receiving yards in Week 13 while wide receiver BRANDON POWELL registered a season-high 84 scrimmage yards (45 rushing, 39 receiving).

Linebacker BOBBY WAGNER recorded his first interception of the year in Week 13 and added his third-career game with two sacks and fifth career game with three tackles for loss. He has 97 tackles this season and aims for his 11th-consecutive 100-tackle season. Since entering the NFL in 2012, Wagner leads all players with 1,474 tackles. Linebacker LEONARD FLOYD has a sack in two of his past three at home and has 5.5 sacks in nine career Thursday games. Defensive back JALEN RAMSEY aims for his seventh in a row with at least six tackles and he is the only defensive back this season with at least 10 passes defensed (10) and multiple sacks (two).

Prime Video will stream 15 Thursday Night Football games this season (Weeks 2-17, excluding Thanksgiving). The game will feature Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit and Kaylee Hartung on the call.

COURTESY NFLmedia.com AND NFL COMMUNICATIONS

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