The 2022 season has not gone well for the Los Angeles Rams, but they are not allowing that to keep them from finishing the season as strong as possible. Injuries have decimated the roster, which ended their pursuit of repeating as Super Bowl champions early, but it also presented some players with a chance to get on the field and showcase their talents.

Easily the most shocking performance thus far has been from quarterback Baker Mayfield. Mayfield has had a quick fall from grace as it was only two seasons ago that he was leading the Cleveland Browns to the postseason, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card game before giving the Kansas City Chiefs all they could handle in the Divisional Round.

In 2021, he battled a shoulder injury that hampered his performance and the team underperformed. The Brown moved on from him late in the 2022 offseason, acquiring Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans. He was eventually traded to the Carolina Panthers, where he struggled mightily.

Mayfield looked lost leading their offense, getting benched on two separate occasions. The team released him and he was claimed on waivers by the Rams, which very well may have saved his career.

Mayfield showed up at the Rams’ facility on a Tuesday as they were getting ready to host the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday Night Football. John Wolford started the game, but Mayfield took over on the second drive and the job has been his since.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft led an improbable comeback as the Rams went 98 yards in 1:35 without a timeout to win 17-16. While he had his struggles against the Green Bay Packers in Week 15, Mayfield was back on track against the Denver Broncos on Christmas.

Denver was a mess and Los Angeles took full advantage of every mistake they made. Mayfield completed 24-of-28 pass attempts for 230 yards and two touchdowns. It upped his passer rating to 98.9, which according to NFL on CBS, is the highest passer rating in Rams’ franchise history for anyone with at least 50 pass attempts.

While the sample size is small, it is encouraging to see Mayfield succeed despite such a limited amount of time to acclimate himself to the team. It goes to show how important coaching is as Mayfield struggled mightily with the Panthers under Matt Rhule and Steve Wilks but has looked more like the 2020 version of himself under Sean McVay.

Mayfield is certainly putting himself on the map as a potential option for teams looking for a starter in 2023 with his performance with the Rams. Given the lack of weapons that he is succeeding with in Los Angeles, there are likely coaching staffs around the league that feel they can get similar production out of Mayfield with an improved supporting cast.