Wow. Baker Mayfield, everyone. Who would have guessed that just two days after signing a contract with a new team, being immersed into an entirely new atmosphere, being asked to learn 50-plus new teammates, all while also trying to dive into a new playbook.
Seriously, we’ve never seen anything like what Mayfield did on Thursday night, starting his first game with the Los Angeles Rams against what was a red-hot Las Vegas Raiders team that had won three in a row.
Mayfield didn’t even get the start, which was the expectation. Did we mention he had less than 72 hours to prepare? It’s unprecedented.
With Matthew Stafford ruled out for the season with an injury, it was backup quarterback John Wolford who got the ball to begin the game. Only, coach Sean McVay had seen enough after just one drive, perhaps realizing Mayfield gave his locker room the best chance to win.
Sometimes a coaches instincts are game-changing, and the belief McVay showed in his new quarterback seemed to translate to the field, as Mayfield looked much closer to the former No. 1 overall pick than he did a player who was close to washing out of the league after the Rams were the lone team to place a waiver claim on the former Browns and Panthers QB.
As they say, sometimes the third time’s the charm, and Mayfield must have woken up feeling dangerous.
Mayfield showed his guts, completing 22-of-35 passes for 230 yards and a touchdown, despite getting sacked four times and being without Cooper Kupp. While the Rams surely got some help, whether it was from Jerry Tillery or the refs, it doesn’t take away from what was an incredible performance, and it had the NFL community talking.
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Baker Mayfield stuns NFL with Rams win over Raiders
No matter who you root for, it’s hard not to appreciate what Mayfield did, leading a 98-yard drive to cap off the 17-16 victory. He will definitely be the Rams’ starter for the rest of the season and may have generated interest league-wide for when he becomes a free agent in the offseason.
Mayfield went from being underappreciated, arguably hated, to being well-liked, all in a matter of a few hours.
Here are just a few of the best reactions we caught on social media after the stunning comeback win.
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