Destiny, thy name is LA Rams quarterback Baker Mayfield

If the reported Rams rumor is true, then the NFL waiver claim by the LA Rams for QB Baker Mayfield was not just another day at the office. The scenario that has played out this entire week for the LA Rams might as well be a made-for-television Holiday Special by Hallmark cards, a saga of how a faltering team and a failing NFL quarterback united just in time to put on the performance of a lifetime in an NFL Thursday Night Football game televised to the nation on Amazon Prime Time.

This was more than just another game. This was more than one of four victories for the LA Rams in a season in which this team fell apart abruptly. Nine losses, more L’s than LA Rams head coach Sean McVay has ever had in a single season before. Do all things happen for a reason? Well, if you doubted that before, you may want to rethink that skepticism.

While the LA Rams were plummeting, so too was the season for Carolina Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield. As a Panther, he started six games and led the team to just a 1-5 record. In the process, he completed just 119 of 206 passes for 1,313 yards, six touchdowns, and six interceptions. And yet, the fortunes of both the LA Rams and quarterback Baker Mayfield were about to change, overnight.

Was it destiny or the wackiest of coincidences?

If you want to track a timeline of the events, you will quickly find that the demise of both the LA Rams and Baker Mayfield was critical to the way everything turned out. And yes, the LA Rams have not always been in a position to receive preferential priority when it comes to the NFL waiver wire.

Does this answer all of the questions that have surfaced over the future of the LA Rams organization this season? Hardly. But it does place some concerns to rest for the moment. If you were concerned about:

The depth of the Rams roster at the quarterback position
-OR-
The number of draft picks for the Rams during the 2024 NFL Draft
-OR-
The ability of the team to assess the quality of young receivers on the roster through the rest of this season

Well, you have to be pleased with the way the Rams have instantly added an NFL-capable quarterback out of the blue, right?