The defending Super Bowl-champion Rams (3-9) are in the midst of a six-game losing streak; the Raiders (5-7) have won three straight; watch Raiders @ Rams on Thursday Night Football, live on Sky Sports NFL at 1.15am, Friday morning
Friday 9 December 2022 07:14, UK
Baker Mayfield could be in line to make his Los Angeles Rams debut on Thursday night against the Las Vegas Raiders, though the newly-signed QB will only start if John Wolford's persistent neck injury forces him out of action.
Rams head coach Sean McVay confirmed that Mayfield will be 'active' for the home game against the Raiders, but admitted it would be "unprecedented" for the former Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers quarterback to play - just two days after he was claimed off waivers.
McVay told reporters: "Whether or not he [Mayfield] would play or be available in an emergency setting is something that we're going to continue to work through.
"It would be unprecedented from my experiences, because of everything that a quarterback is asked to do, to bring him in in such a short period of time and have him go out there.
"But I do think that he'd be capable of it if we asked."
The defending Super Bowl-champion Rams (3-9) are in the midst of a six-game losing streak, with their squad beset by injuries - and particularly at quarterback.
Starting QB Matthew Stafford (neck) and star receiver Cooper Kupp (ankle) have both been placed on injured reserve with long-term issues and could be done for the season, while three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald (ankle) is expected to miss a second-straight game on Thursday night.
Backup QB Wolford is listed as 'questionable' with a neck injury. If he's unable to go, Mayfield and third-stringer Bryce Perkins will be the only healthy players available to the Rams under center.
Wolford has gone winless in two starts this season, with a completion percentage of 61.3, 390 passing yards, one TD and three interceptions. Perkins received a solitary start in Week 12 against the Kansas City Chiefs, completing 13 of 23 passes for 100 yards, one TD and two picks.
Mayfield arrived in Los Angeles on Tuesday night after asking for his release from the Panthers, having fallen to third choice on their QB depth chart behind starter Sam Darnold and backup PJ Walker.
Mayfield, the No 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, was a disappointing 1-5 as a starter in Carolina this season following his trade from the Browns in the summer. The 27-year-old completed just 57.8 per cent of his passes, with six touchdowns to the same number of interceptions.
The Rams were, according to reports, the only one of the NFL's 32 teams to put in a waiver claim for Mayfield following his release, despite speculation that their NFC West rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, might also be interested after losing their starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to injury on Sunday.
McVay, who declared himself a fan of Mayfield's talents for many years, said: "He's a natural thrower. I've always really liked him.
"There's a lot of things, whether it be in Cleveland or even in Carolina, that he's been asked to do that are very similar concepts, (with) carry-over to what we've been able to do, and some of the things that we have as foundational parts of our offense."
When asked whether there was a possibility that Mayfield could have a long-term future in Los Angeles, McVay said: "I think as we continue to accumulate [information about Mayfield], that will kind of answer itself.
"What I can say is there's an excitement about being able to work with him for what we know is five more weeks, and whether he plays in five games or four games is to be determined, but I'm excited about that."
While the Rams currently find themselves in the midst of the record-worst season by a defending champion in NFL history, the Raiders (5-7) are seemingly headed in the opposite direction. After a dreadful 2-7 start to their campaign, they have won three straight coming into Thursday's clash.
Looking to make it four in a row, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said ahead of the game: "Because of the way that we didn't win certain games early on in the season, every next game is the most important.
"Defending champs, stars all over the field on their side of the football, so it's a tough challenge for us, but it's what I'm excited about. Our fans usually travel well to LA, so I'm also excited about that."
The Raiders' turnaround has been built largely upon the success of their offense, with star receiver Davante Adams logging 41 catches for 664 yards and seven touchdowns over their past five games, while running back Josh Jacobs has rushed for 482 yards (5.81 yards per attempt) and three TDs during the three-game win streak.
The Raiders are 5-1 when Jacobs gains 100 yards or more. And with 1,303 rushing yards on the season already, he is just 457 away from breaking Marcus Allen's franchise record set in 1985. Jacobs also has 10 rushing TDs, five away from surpassing Pete Banaszak's Raiders record mark set in 1975.
"I think [the offensive line] believes in me like I believe in them," Jacobs said this week. "I encourage them guys all the time. I'm their biggest advocate.
"Even when they do bad, I tell them I believe in them. You can tell they lay it out on the line for me and that's a great feeling to have."
Adams said of the team's recent success: "We're definitely playing a better brand of football right now. [It's] complementary.
"When the offense isn't doing great, the defense goes out there to do their job and they hold teams to no scoring or stopping [opponents] in critical moments."
Watch Las Vegas Raiders @ Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football, live on Sky Sports NFL from 1.15am in the early hours of Friday morning.
