Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Charlie Wilson

Baker Mayfield says "I'm home" in emotional scenes inside Los Angeles Rams dressing room

Baker Mayfield pulled off an almost impossible feat last night when he led his new team to a dramatic comeback win.

The former first-overall draft pick was released from the Carolina Panthers on Monday after falling to third-string quarterback, after they traded for him this summer and made him team captain, but struggled to play at the level expected when they acquired him.

Surprisingly, the Los Angeles Rams were the only team to put in a claim for Mayfield, and were awarded him on Tuesday - just two days before their Thursday night game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Somewhat surprisingly, NFL reporter Ian Rapoport stated that the Rams could even start the 27-year-old - even though he only had one practice session with the team and had the offensive playbook for less than 48 hours.

Usually, quarterbacks will be given several weeks to learn the playbook before entering the game, with a newly-signed player starting in just days unheard of.

Back-up quarterback John Wolford would end up starting the game, with starter Matthew Stafford out for the season, but after just one failed drive, Mayfield entered the game.

Having very little time, certainly not enough to learn a new NFL playbook, Mayfield was somehow able to lead the team down the field for a field goal on his first ever drive as a Ram.

After that, the offense would stutter throughout the second and third quarter, but in the fourth, the quarterback shone bright.

Baker Mayfield will now start for the Rams for the rest of the season (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

With the Rams down 16-3, Mayfield led a drive which was capped off by a Cam Akers running touchdown, before the Rams defence were able to get the ball back for the offense - but needed to go 98-yards with less than two minutes to go, Mayfield miraculously let them to the 30-yard line where he threw a beautiful pass to Van Jefferson to win the game with less than five seconds to go.

In the locker room after the game, head coach Sean McVay awarded the quarterback with the game ball, before Mayfield made things emotional among his team-mates with a speech, in which he said: "I'm happy to be home, men."

Speaking to the media after the game, he said: "I'm just looking to be the best version of me possible. Learning and improving in the system, trying to take away from a great group of guys that have had a lot of success... take in as much as I can and let the pieces fall where they may.

"I can't control the future. I know I have the next four games here. Trying to build on that and just be the best version of me and improve."

McVay hailed Mayfield after the game, saying: "You can't say enough about Baker Mayfield and the leadership, the resilience, the competitiveness. What a quick study. He just got here five minutes ago and figured out a way to be able to do some special things tonight. Man, you forget what winning is like, and it sure is fun."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.