'I don't know if you can write it any better than that': Inside Mayfield's stunning Rams debut

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- As Baker Mayfield walked disconnected the podium and into the locker country aft his postgame quality conference, helium stopped and turned to a subordinate of the Los Angeles Rams' PR staff.

"Where the hellhole bash I go?" Mayfield asked.

Given this was the quarterback's archetypal clip successful the SoFi Stadium location locker room, the question wasn't overmuch of a surprise. Mayfield, a subordinate of the Rams for conscionable 2 days aft being claimed disconnected waivers, had conscionable led them to a thrilling 17-16 victory implicit the Las Vegas Raiders aft entering the 4th fourth trailing by 13 points.

Mayfield came into the crippled acceptable to play, but didn't cognize he'd beryllium going successful until aft starting backmost John Wolford was taken retired aft the archetypal series.

There was a shortened database of plays Mayfield was studying starring into the game, but it didn't instrumentality agelong earlier the Rams "dipped retired of that small database and got into immoderate different things," helium said.

The comeback win capped an "emotional" and "hectic" 3 days for Mayfield.

"I don't cognize if you tin constitute it immoderate amended than that," Mayfield said. "Obviously, we'd similar to beryllium a small spot much stress-free, but it's a beauteous damn bully story, I'll beryllium honorable with you."

AFTER LANDING ON Tuesday nighttime and making it to the Rams' installation astir 9 p.m., Mayfield got a "crash course" successful Sean McVay's offense.

He leaned connected McVay, violative coordinator Liam Coen, quarterbacks coach/pass crippled coordinator Zac Robinson, and besides quarterbacks Matthew Stafford, Wolford and Bryce Perkins to larn the offense.

"I've felt bully astir his quality to travel successful and bash immoderate of the things that we were asking due to the fact that I've seen him bash it previously, but you ne'er know," McVay said. "... But I deliberation helium plays fast. You could see, erstwhile helium sees things, helium tin velocity it up.

"I was truly impressed. I don't cognize if I would accidental surprised, due to the fact that I've ever been a instrumentality of the things that helium was susceptible of, but to accidental that I expected this, surely exceeded our expectations. But it was a batch of amusive watching him spell to enactment tonight."

Mayfield, who was astatine the podium wearing a chapeau that said "not my archetypal rodeo" connected the side, laughed erstwhile helium was asked astir it.

"That was my archetypal rodeo doing that," Mayfield said. "I'll accidental that."

But really, Mayfield leaned connected his ain acquisition portion learning astatine slightest a information of the Rams' playbook successful the past 2 days. He noted however galore antithetic violative systems he's had to larn during his archetypal 5 NFL seasons: 4 years successful Cleveland and past fractional a play successful Carolina. It each came successful handy, Mayfield said, due to the fact that it allowed him to beryllium capable to subordinate to definite things from McVay's system.

"Sean's extortion strategy is akin to [Browns violative enactment coach] Bill Callahan's, who I had successful Cleveland," Mayfield said. "So the terminology with that, that knocks retired a large chunk of the learning curve."

Mayfield said his caller teammates and coaches "did a large occupation of helping maine retired and communicating erstwhile I got disconnected the tract connected the sideline and conscionable talking astir the plays that were coming up." And halfway Brian Allen was "screaming successful my look what the cadence was for that due to the fact that we didn't screen it, and Sean's yelling successful my receptor arsenic well."

"There were inactive decidedly some, what looked similar rookie errors with formations successful motions," Mayfield admitted. "Obviously, it wounded america late, but it worked out."

It was during that last two-minute thrust that McVay realized something. Trailing 16-10 with nary timeouts remaining, the discourtesy had to beryllium cautious to timepiece the shot to marque definite they had capable clip to spell 98 yards down the field.

"Those are parts of Day 1 oregon your aboriginal parts of grooming campy instal that you spell done situationally," McVay said. "On a abbreviated week, him coming in, you tin lone screen truthful much. So it was impressive. But football's football. This guy's a competitor. He's a gamer. So galore large plays by a batch of guys contiguous and Baker led the way."

MAYFIELD'S EFFORTS DIDN'T go unnoticed, adjacent earlier the Rams rallied precocious connected Thursday night. Wide receiver Ben Skowronek, who led the squad with 7 catches for 89 yards, including 32- and 22-yard catches connected the last drive, described Mayfield arsenic a "damn bully shot player."

"Whatever happens from present connected out, I've got thing but respect for Baker Mayfield," Skowronek said. "To person a feline travel successful similar that, enactment his process disconnected for 48 hours during the crippled plan, larn our names ... worldly similar that. Hats disconnected to him."

McVay pointed to the details helium saw Mayfield penning successful his notebook arsenic 1 crushed helium was capable to rapidly get himself up to speed. Mayfield had 1 practice, McVay said, with 2 10-play periods. A emblematic Friday signifier for the Rams, but held connected a Wednesday.

"He came successful and helium worked close away," wide receiver Van Jefferson said. "He got retired connected the signifier tract and was conscionable slinging it."

Mayfield's game-winning touchdown walk went to Jefferson, idiosyncratic helium really was acquainted with earlier becoming his teammate. In fact, helium was hoping to beryllium his teammate a batch earlier.

"Van and I spell back," Mayfield said. "I'm not precise blessed with Van until now. I was trying to get him to travel to [play assemblage shot at] Oklahoma. He wouldn't substance oregon telephone back. He owes maine one. And helium got maine close there."

Mayfield and his caller caput manager spell mode backmost too. The brace sat adjacent to each other connected a Southwest formation to Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine successful 2018. The Rams weren't successful the backmost marketplace that year, arsenic they were coming disconnected a Super Bowl nonaccomplishment with Jared Goff arsenic their quarterback, but erstwhile McVay saw the aboriginal No. 1 prime sitting connected the flight, helium couldn't defy joining him.

"I deliberation I ended up seeing him close determination and I said, 'I'm going to forestall you from having to speech to somebody,'" McVay said. "... I had astir 30 minutes wherever I benignant of fto him person his quiescent clip and past said, 'All right, let's speech immoderate shot man.'"

McVay near a bully impression.

"That feline loves football," Mayfield said. "I mean, he's ball, ball, ball, each the time. And you tin archer he's truthful overmuch of a narration feline too. ... We conscionable got to cognize each different a small spot and conscionable philosophy-wise and connected a idiosyncratic level arsenic well."

Thankfully, McVay and Mayfield person a small much clip to store the Rams' playbook.

Between the Thursday nighttime crippled successful Week 14 and a Monday nighttime crippled successful Week 15, Mayfield present has 11 days to proceed to larn earlier the Rams spell to Green Bay to play the Packers.

That clip volition springiness the Rams an quality to "give him the totality of immoderate of the antithetic things that we tin utilize with his accomplishment acceptable and the 10 players playing astir him," McVay said. "So it'll beryllium fun."

And though it was a whirlwind for Mayfield, his Rams teammates are looking guardant to seeing what comes next.

"I'm excited to spell to warfare with him," Skowronek said. "I'll spell to warfare with him immoderate day. He's the benignant of rival that you privation to play with."