Stetson Bennett Makes His NFL Debut Against Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Rams preseason camp has been filled with Stetson Bennett highlights. The fourth-round draft pick and two-time national champion at the University of Georgia joined former Bulldog Matthew Stafford in the Rams quarterback room this coming season, having the opportunity to learn behind a Super Bowl champion.
Bennett and the Rams debut their 2023 NFL preseason against crosstown AFC rival, the Los Angeles Chargers. Rams QB Brett Rypien got the start as the main starters for both teams were being sat out for the game. But Bennet came in during the second quarter and was immediately under constant duress. Bennett was in a second and long scenario and threw a very impressive ball to a slant route for a gain of 17 yards.
At this point in the game, the Rams are down 13-0 and moved the ball into the red zone. Warren Mclendon is also in on this drive, playing left tackle, who is Bennett's former teammate from UGA. As the Rams moved into the red zone, Bennett noticeably became very comfortable in the pocket after almost throwing a few interceptions earlier in the drive.
On second and goal, Bennett rolled out for a play-action pass and moved the ball down to the three-yard line, almost getting the edge for the score. On third and goal, Mclendon was fooled by a twist stunt that forced Bennett to roll out to his left and throw an incomplete pass but was saved by an unsportsmanlike penalty on the Chargers' corner slapping a Rams WR, giving them a new set of downs.
Bennett handed the ball off on first down. Second and goal, he handed the ball off again to Ronnie Rivers for a touchdown that got called back for a holding against the same Rams WR who got slapped, Ben Skowronek, replay down, which led to an incomplete pass on a great 50/50 ball. On third and goal, Bennett threw a laser to score the game's first points for the Los Angeles Rams. Warren Mclendon had a great block to protect Bennett, who threw a dot to Puka Nacua.
An impressive drive by someone who was doubted by many coming out of the NFL draft. Overcoming early adversity to come away with the game's first points for the Los Angeles Rams. The Chargers began targeting former Bulldog safety Richard Lecounte, which eventually led to a touchdown by Quinton Johnston for a touchdown, as the Chargers took a 20-7 with 17 seconds to go before halftime. Bennett came out to take a knee and lead the Rams into halftime.
Coming out of halftime, Bennett and the Rams got the ball, where he led the offense down to midfield. On a third down play, Bennett had a tipped pass that went incomplete and forced a Rams punt.
Coming out of halftime, the Rams got the ball with Bennett leading them to mid-field before stalling out and having to punt. In the ensuing drive, the Rams had good starting field position, starting just past the 30-yard line. Bennett then rolled out very deep for a play-action pass and was sacked for a 12-yard loss after picking up the first down on the previous play. In the next play, Bennett connected with Tyler Johnson for a pickup of 34 yards and inside the Chargers' 33.
Warren Mclendon and the Rams o-line drove the ball down to a fourth-and-one situation, where Sean McVay kept them on the field to try and pick up the first, but WR Tyler Johnson had a false start, which led to a missed field goal by the Rams following the penalty. The score still is at 20-7 Chargers.
Bennett thus far has more positives than negatives on the field, but the negatives are glaring. At points, it seems he tries to "do too much" or make a "finesse" play that may have been there in college but isn't there in the NFL. But that can be accredited to his confidence while sitting in the pocket, which is noticeable in some of the big plays made.
The Rams got the ball back just after the 3-minute mark, where Bennett sat in the pocket, took a hit, and missed his wide receiver on a crossing route, but it is a positive play to see a rookie sit in the pocket and rip it like a veteran. On third and ten, he connected with Tyler Johnson again on a very impressive throw on a corner route into Charger territory, where he came back and threw a quick slant for another first down.
The two-minute drill is in progress, and Bennett connects on a post route to Austin Trammell into the red zone. Thirty seconds and counting, ball on the four, Bennett tosses it right to Royce Freeman for a touchdown, making the score 20-14 with 11 seconds left in the third. An impressive drive from the former national champ.
On the next drive for the Chargers, they answered Bennett's touchdown drive with a touchdown of their own, 27-14. Bennett came out and threw an under-thrown ball, but it was completed for a big gain. Pass interference was called on the next play picking up another chunk of yardage. Bennett and his offense drove the ball into the Chargers red zone again, coming away with a field goal making the score 27-17.
At this point, Bennett is 13/22 with 157 yards and a touchdown. The Rams have also scored on three of his six offensive drives, with the other three drives resulting in a punt, missed FG, and a knee to end the half. The next drive started deep in their territory, which resulted in Bennett trying to run and throw the ball, but he had his elbow hit as he was throwing and was an incompletion leading to a punt. 7;39 remains in the fourth quarter.
The Chargers scored again on the next drive, making the score 34-17 with 3:47 left in the game. Bennett and Mclendon came back out, except this time, Mclendon was at right tackle instead of left tackle, where he had been playing most of the game. Bennett picked up two impressive first down through the air to put the Rams at midfield. The Rams are in a fast pace offense this drive. Then the Chargers d-line ran right past the o-line, pressured Bennett, sacked him into the two-minute warning, and back to midfield, forcing a Rams punt in fourth and 35, with 50 seconds left.
Overall, Bennett had an impressive game. He faced adversity multiple times in drives, such as the starting drive, where he almost threw multiple interceptions but eventually came away with a touchdown. For the game, Bennett was the leading passer for both teams, completing 17 of his 29 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown. He also had a passer rating of 89.9 and averaged 6.6 yards per pass. The game ended with the Chargers winning 34-17, but all of the Rams points came in due part to Bennett's performance.
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