It’s a good week to be down double-digits late in the fourth quarter. Before the New Orleans Saints gave up and lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night, NFL teams were 2-551 when trailing by 13 or more points in the final four minutes of regulation. But the Saints dropped the ball against Tom Brady, improving that record to 3-551; and now it’s up to 4-551 after Baker Mayfield led the Los Angeles Rams to a fourth-quarter upset of their own on Thursday night.
Facing a 16-3 deficit and starting at their own 25-yard line, the Rams moved the length of the field while converting a single third down; penalties on the Raiders defense bailed them out of an early fourth down and a third down later in the drive, with Mayfield connecting on a 13-yard pass to Tutu Atwell inside Las Vegas territory. Cam Akers punched in a touchdown run from the 1-yard line, Matt Gay kicked the extra point, and the Rams made it a 16-10 game with 3:19 left on the clock.
