The Los Angeles Rams finally snapped their six-game losing streak on Thursday night by coming from behind to beat the Las Vegas Raiders at home, 17-16. It took a miraculous 98-yard touchdown drive by Baker Mayfield to get the job done, but it was as exciting a win as the Rams have had since the Super Bowl.
There were some pretty wild stats to come out of the riveting game, too. Here are nine of the craziest stats we’ve found from Rams-Raiders in Week 14.
1
Longest game-winning TD drive inside 2 minutes in 45 years
The Rams’ 98-yard march for a touchdown with 1:45 left in the game will statistically go down as one of the most improbable in NFL history. It’s the longest game-winning touchdown drive with under 2 minutes to play in the last 45 years, which goes to show just how high the odds were stacked against the Rams.
That was the longest game-winning touchdown drive (98 yards) in the last 20 seasons starting in the final 2 minutes of regulation (regular season or playoffs)
— Doug Clawson (@doug_clawson) December 9, 2022
2
Rams allowed 67 yards, 2 first downs in second half
Give Mayfield and the offense a ton of credit for coming from behind to beat the Raiders, but the defense absolutely did its job, too. After a rough first half where they allowed 235 yards to the Raiders, the Rams stepped up and gave up a measly 67 yards and two first downs in the second half. They completely shut the Raiders down, forcing them to go three-and-out three times and holding them to a field goal on their other possession.
3
Derek Carr completed 2 passes for 11 yards after halftime
Carr’s struggles after halftime were a big reason the Raiders barely moved the ball in the second half. After starting the game 9-for-13 with 126 yards in the first half, he completed just two of his final seven passes for a total of 11 yards in the third and fourth quarters. He also threw a pick on the final offensive play, sealing the Rams’ win. It was a forgettable performance by the Raiders quarterback.
4
Rams held Josh Jacobs to 2nd-fewest yards per carry this season
Jacobs is a high-volume player, which makes it so difficult to keep his yardage to a minimum. Sure, he rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown against the Rams, but that was on 27 carries – an average of just 3.7 yards per rush. That’s the second-lowest average of the season for Jacobs, slightly higher than Week 2 when he gained 3.6 yards per rush.
5
Rams had less than 2% chance of winning at 2 different points in fourth quarter
The Rams had a 1.2% chance of winning when faced with a critical fourth-and-1 late in the fourth quarter, which they converted to set up Cam Akers’ touchdown. After the first play of their game-winning drive, an incompletion to Tutu Atwell, the Rams’ win probability sank to 1.6%.
It wasn’t until Van Jefferson’s touchdown that the Rams had better than a 23.3% chance to win at any point in the game. The Raiders were in complete control for 59 minutes, but the Rams came through when it mattered.
one of the craziest win probability charts we’ll ever see pic.twitter.com/0w9aZPrsCM
— Tej Seth (@tejfbanalytics) December 9, 2022
6
Rams scored 2 fourth-quarter TDs vs. Raiders after scoring 4 all season
Entering Thursday’s game, the Rams had scored a total of four fourth-quarter touchdowns all year. Against the Raiders, the Rams found the end zone twice in the fourth quarter, half as many as they scored in the previous 12 games combined. They’ve been one of the worst fourth-quarter teams all season, but that wasn’t the case Thursday.
7
Rams had more yards on final 2 drives than previous 7 drives combined
On their final two possessions – excluding the kneel down – the Rams went 75 yards and 98 yards for touchdowns. Their net yardage on those two drives was a combined 145 yards, which was more than the 138 yards they had in the entire game before then. It really wasn’t a great night offensively for the Rams until their last two drives down the field.
8
Mayfield had as many 20-yard completions as Wolford and Perkins combined this season
Mayfield was not afraid to throw the ball around the yard. He attacked every part of the Raiders defense, which resulted in five completions of at least 20 yards. In the previous four games combined, John Wolford and Bryce Perkins completed a total of five passes that went for at least 20 yards. So in one game, Mayfield matched the explosive plays by Wolford and Perkins on their 96 total pass attempts.
9
Teams were 4-551 when trailing by 13+ in the last 4 minutes since 2018
It’s incredibly rare for a team to erase a 13-point deficit in the final 4 minutes of a game, which is exactly what the Rams did on Thursday night. They’re actually the second team to do that this week, too, following in the footsteps of Tom Brady and the Bucs against the Saints. Prior to those two games, teams were 2-551 when trailing by at least 13 points with less than 4 minutes to play in the last five years.
Making last night that much more improbable: Teams are now 4-551 when trailing by 13 or more points in the final four minutes in the last five seasons, including playoffs. Half of those four wins have come in the last four days, courtesy of Tom Brady and Baker Mayfield.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 9, 2022
