Instant Reaction: Ty Simpson Impresses in Preseason Debut as Rams Beat Chiefs

The Los Angeles Rams kicked off the preseason on Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs, getting the win 20-12. Rookie quarterback Ty Simpson made his debut for the Rams and it couldn’t have gone any better. Simpson finished 21-for-25 for 190 yards and threw two touchdown passes.

Quarterback Stetson Bennett started the opening two drives, going 4-for-6 for 38 yards while leading one scoring drive. From there, Ty Simspon took over and looked comfortable in his debut. Outside of a throwaway and a heave at the end of the first half, Simpson completed his first 15 passes.

On his second drive, he went 4-for-4 for 41 yards, which included a 23-yard completion out of play action to tight end Mark Redman. Simpson finished the first half 9-for-11 for 74 yards and led one scoring drive. With 37 seconds left on the clock, he did a nice job leading the offense down into scoring range.

If you didn’t know any better, you would have thought that the World Cup had continued at Arrowhead with the score tied 6-6 at the end of the first half, with the only points coming from kickers.

Ty Simpson Takes Over in Fourth Quarter

The Rams scored the first touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter after falling behind for the first time in the game, 9-6. Sparked by a nice punt return by Xavier Smith, Simpson found undrafted free agent Dean Connors on a screen for his first career touchdown pass. Connors was one of the Rams’ highest-rated undrafted free agents and showed his ability as a receiving threat on the score.

Simpson’s fourth-quarter dominance continued on the next drive. The Rams went 87 yards in eight plays with Simpson completing a 22-yard pass to tight end Mark Redman and then a 23-yard pass to Brennan Presley. The touchdown drive concluded with Simpson connecting with Connors in the end zone for a second time.

Ty Simpson Looks Comfortable in Rams Debut

The Rams got exactly what they needed to see in Simpson’s debut. He looked comfortable running the offense and remained extremely efficient. It may have been a small sample size, but Simpson looked like the better of the two quarterbacks.

For the most part, the offense was vanilla, which is to be expected. However, Simpson looked the part. He finally got to let it loose in the fourth quarter and that’s when the passing game found some explosive plays. Simpson was decisive and accurate. He also showed some of his mobility. It’s only the preseason, but these were valuable reps for a quarterback who lacked experience.

The Rams’ coaching staff has a better view of what happens during the week, but it’s fair to wonder if Simpson could surpass Bennett by the end of the preseason. At the very least, his debut was very encouraging.

This dude has looked the best out of the rookie QB’s & it’s not particularly close https://t.co/St2udsAocJ
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) August 15, 2026

What’s Next for the Rams?

While it’s only the preseason, the Rams have to be pleased with that performance. The offense stayed on track, while the defense got key stops when needed and the pass rush made an impact.

Injury-wise, rookie offensive tackle Keagen Trost left the game and was ruled out with a hamstring injury in the first half. We’ll wait to see what Sean McVay has to say there. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Rams were simply being cautious.

The Rams will continue the preseason next week as they head back to SoFi Stadium to play the New Orleans Saints.

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