Baker Mayfield had a dream debut in Los Angeles as the Rams beat the Raiders in a wild comeback | NFL

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Baker Mayfield threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Van Jefferson with 10 seconds to play for a 98-yard touchdown catch, and the Los Angeles Rams’ freshman quarterback led two TD drives late in the fourth quarter of a shock 17-16 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders Thursday night.

Just two days after the Rams (4-9) claimed Mayfield off waivers from Carolina, the former first pick went 22-of-35 for 230 yards and ended the defending Super Bowl champion’s six-game losing streak in dramatic fashion.

“It’s been a wild 48 hours,” Mayfield said after the game on Amazon Stream.

Los Angeles trailed 16-3 after Daniel Carlson’s third field goal at 12:20 into the game, but Mayfield engineered a 75-yard drive that was capped by Cam Akers’ TD with 3:19 to play.

The Los Angeles defense held Derek Carr and the Raiders on the two-minute warning, but AJ Cole put it up 64 yards at the Rams’ two-yard line. Relentless and without a timeout, Mayfield led the Rams – with great help from an unsportsmanlike penalty on Jerry Tillery of the Raiders – to drop the ball from the quarterback’s hands after a play.

The Rams got to the Vegas 23 with 15 seconds left, and Mayfield quickly found Jefferson in the back corner of the end zone. The drive included a contested 32-yard reception by Ben Skowronek, who finished with seven catches for 89 yards.

Josh Jacobs rushed for 99 yards and the only touchdown for the Raiders (5-8), whose three-game winning streak ended in humiliating fashion. Less than four weeks after Las Vegas lost former ESPN analyst Jeff Jeff’s first practice game Saturday with Indianapolis, the Raiders lost to a quarterback who joined his new team with less than 48 hours left in the game. The Raiders are only the fourth team in NFL history to lose four games in a season after leading by 13 points or more, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

The Raiders are the fourth team to lose 4 games in a season after leading by 13 points or more, joining the 1998 Colts, 1996 Jets and 1982 Rams. pic.twitter.com/8a2bbblLwu

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 9, 2022

Carr passed for 137 yards with no TDs and two interceptions, including an ice pick at center field.

Mayfield was having a terrible season for the Panthers, but improbably sparked the Rams with a handful of big plays and decent drives despite coach Sean McVay’s limited knowledge of offense.

With McVay apparently giving detailed instructions on his helmet before each game, Mayfield promptly moved the Rams with three completions of at least 20 yards on his first two series. Los Angeles has only had 26 such games in its first 12 games – the third fewest in the NFL.

Once warmed up, Mayfield completed 15 of his 20 passes in the fourth quarter, and flawlessly guided his new teammates with two touchdowns.

After the game, Mayfield was asked how Thursday’s events rank into the highlights of his career. He said, “This is there to be honest with you.” “I didn’t think it would turn out like this, but I sure am glad we covered the two-minute process, oh my gosh.”

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