The Las Vegas Raiders dominated the Los Angeles Rams throughout the game, but in the end, Baker Mayfield added another embarrassing chapter to their season.
Going into their matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, the Las Vegas Raiders were heavy favorites and playing some of their best football of the season. After three straight wins, they suddenly looked like a playoff team on both sides of the ball and got out to a hot start inside SoFi on Thursday night.
However, as has been the main storyline of their 2022 season, the Raiders added another embarrassing chapter, losing to Baker Mayfield and company. Yes, that Baker Mayfield that joined the team early in the week, and only need a few hours in Sean McVay’s system to beat the Silver and Black in Week 14.
For Las Vegas, this will be another in a series of missed opportunities to do something special in Josh McDaniels’ first season as head coach, and this could be the worst loss yet.
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Las Vegas came out of the gate with a methodical touchdown drive, capped by a one-yard score by Josh Jacobs. Playing injured throughout the game, Jacobs showed why he is a front-runner for Offensive Player of the Year, shaking off a hand injury midway through the contest to finish the game with 27 carries.
However, that would be the last time the Silver and Black would find the end zone, and the last touchdown until a little over three minutes left in the game, when Cam Akers pulled the Rams within six points. Las Vegas had a 16-3 lead going into that drive, a drive that was aided by an offside by Clelin Ferrell during a punt.
After another terrible drive by the Raiders, one where the playcalling was absolutely awful, the Rams had to march 98 yards with no timeouts and under two minutes left. No problem for Mayfield, as penalties extended the drive, and in the end, Sam Webb was left in one-on-one coverage with Van Jefferson.
Mayfield placed a perfect ball into Jefferson’s hands, and the rest is history.
For Derek Carr, this may have been the worst game of his career, and coming in Year 9, that is saying something. His interception in the first half negated points, points that would have won the game, as he decided to toss the ball up in the air, and was intercepted in the end zone.
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In the end, the Raiders lost a game they should have won by 20-plus points, and while you can blame the missed calls on Maxx Crosby, the penalties, or the playcalling, this one falls on the quarterback. Too many times tonight he made the wrong decision, and in the end, ended his team’s chances of making the playoffs once again.