THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Newly-acquired Rams quarterback Baker Mayfield's status for Thursday Night Football against the Raiders is still being determined, though Rams head coach Sean McVay said he would lean toward Mayfield being active.
"We're still working through that kind of stuff," McVay said during a video conference with reporters Wednesday afternoon, whether that be Mayfield playing or being available in an emergency situation.
Mayfield arrived in Los Angeles Tuesday night after being claimed by L.A. off waivers from the Carolina Panthers. The decision to do so, according to McVay, was a combination of a player of Mayfield's caliber becoming available, as well as the circumstances surrounding the Rams' quarterback room. Starter Matthew Stafford was placed on Injured Reserve last Saturday due to a spinal cord contusion. John Wolford – who got the start in Week 13 against the Seahawks – has been dealing with neck soreness this week and is considered questionable for Thursday night's game.
"There's a lot of things," McVay said, when asked what he needed to see from Mayfield in order for Mayfield to possibly play Thursday night. "I think part of it, too, is seeing how John feels. But really, it's getting to maximize all the time that we have to get him up to speed. There are some similarities to systems that he's run in previous years and previous places where there's a similar vernacular or verbage. So we'll really see. It's 12 o'clock right now, he literally just got here about 14 hours ago when we ended up starting to meet with him."
Rams-Raiders at SoFi Stadium kicks off Thursday night at 5:15 p.m. pacific time on Amazon Prime Video.
