There is something about Stetson Bennett that when the lights come on, and the second is at its brightest, the Georgia native is at his finest.
Sean McVay has a phrase for it.
“Gamer.”
Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett gained an edge to be the backup. Ringo Chiu/SOPA Images/Shutterstock
For one half on Saturday afternoon at SoFi Stadium, Bennett seemed every bit like one.
The Rams entered their second preseason sport with what appeared to be a legit competitors between Bennett and rookie Ty Simpson for the privilege and duty of backing up reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford for the 2026 season.
They left the area after a 34-0 demolition of the Saints with significantly less ambiguity.
The QB2 job is now Bennett’s to lose.
That doesn’t imply Bennett was good against the Saints. He wasn’t. There were missed throws, a few balls he’ll need back and stretches in which the Rams leaned on conservative play calls. But preseason soccer isn’t about assembling a stat line that will make fantasy soccer house owners drool. It’s about exhibiting the teaching employees you can run the offense with out setting the constructing on hearth.
Bennett proved he could not only do that but more.
Starting the sport and enjoying the first half, Bennett was 19-of-31 passing for 181 yards and orchestrated 4 consecutive scoring drives. More importantly, he confirmed the command, improvisation and aggressive nerve that separate a quarterback who knows the offense from one succesful of working it when something goes flawed.
Bennett’s consolation degree with McVay’s offense was on show during a essential fourth-and-1 play late in the first quarter. Facing strain on a designed rollout, Bennett pulled up and lofted a cross to Tyler Scott for 16 yards. It gave Los Angeles an early 3-0 lead and set the tone for the the rest of the sport.
“That was an incredible throw and catch,” McVay said of the conversion.
Bennett’s legs also supplied another dimension to the two-time CFP National Championship MVP quarterback’s sport.
Twice in the pink zone, the Saints protection coated all his choices, so Bennett escaped with his legs, scoring two speeding touchdowns and serving to the Rams construct a 20-0 halftime benefit.
“They’re constantly reminding me in practice, especially down in the red zone, ‘Hey, if it’s not there, take off,’” Bennett said.
Mission achieved.
This form of efficiency is exactly what Bennett wanted after Simpson stole the preseason highlight last week in Kansas City. The No. 13 total decide was 21-of-25 passing for 190 yards and two touchdowns against the Chiefs, instantly turning what seemed like Bennett’s succession plan following Jimmy Garoppolo’s departure into an precise competitors for the backup job.
But Saturday was Bennett’s rebuttal.
Rams rookie QB Ty Simpson completed 8-of-12 passing for 73 yards in the second half against the Saints on Saturday. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Simpson completed 8-of-12 passing for 73 yards in the second half and seemed sharp. The lopsided rating and Alex Cook’s 100-yard decide six modified the sport, limiting Simpson’s alternatives. The rookie will have one more combating probability to show his abilities against the Chargers on Thursday at SoFi Stadium.
But having spent years inside this offense, Bennett still has the benefit. Simpson is still studying how NFL performs remodel from diagrams on a web page into managed chaos at the line of scrimmage. Even Simpson acknowledged he has a lot to study from Bennett and Stafford and the approach they dissect defenses.
“He’s a baller,” Simpson said of Bennett. “He doesn’t care. He just takes what the defense gives him. He just plays.”
Bennett performs in the preseason but has never thrown a regular-season NFL cross. That distinction issues, particularly for a Rams group with Super Bowl aspirations and a 38-year-old beginning quarterback with a dangerous back. Nobody should faux one productive preseason half all of the sudden makes Bennett a surefire NFL insurance coverage coverage.
But Saturday supplied enough proof that the fourth-round decide has matured into something more reliable for the Rams.
“I definitely felt more comfortable out there than in years prior,” Bennett said.
McVay agrees.
“You just feel like his game really comes to life in game-day settings,” McVay said. “It’s not too big. He loves competing.”
It would be untimely to call the competitors for QB2 fully over, particularly with one more preseason sport remaining. Simpson has made this competitors attention-grabbing. But Bennett just reminded everyone whose job it was in the first place.
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