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'My Fault': Rams QB Stetson Bennett Explains Pick-Six vs. Raiders

Los Angeles Rams rookie quarterback Stetson Bennett threw his first interception of his career in the 34-17 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. What happened during that play?

Harrison Reno

In this story:

Through his first two preseason appearances, Los Angeles Rams rookie quarterback Stetson Bennett has shown promise, scoring touchdowns in both games and looking at home on an NFL field. 

Yet, that doesn't mean he didn't have his fair share of bad plays or "boneheaded" mistakes, as the former Georgia Bulldog coined them. 

One of those "boneheaded" decisions occurred in his latest outing versus the Las Vegas Raiders, as Bennett threw the first interception of his career, which quickly turned into a touchdown going the other way for the Raiders as safety Isaiah Pola-Mao returned it 50 yards. 

In what originally appeared to be an errant throw from Bennett, as his nearest receiver was six yards below where the ball ended up, turned out to be a miscommunication. 

“That was completely my fault,” Bennett said in the post-game press conference. “I thought that he was going to run a different route than he did and anticipated it and he ran the one that was called and I threw the one that wasn’t and I paid for it.”

Luckily for the Rams, that pick-six turned out to be the worst play of Bennett's evening as he went on to respond with a touchdown of his own later in the game. Yet, even in his preseason debut against the Los Angeles Chargers, Bennett did put questionable decisions on tape.  

After coming off the bench versus the Chargers, the first three throws from the rookie all could've been interceptions. Although, as Rams coach Sean McVay and Bennett himself noted after that game, they were fortunate enough to keep the drive going. 

Yet, like versus the Chargers, the bad play didn't derail his performance as he'd finish strong with a four-yard rushing touchdown to cap off a stat line that read: 15/24 passing for 142 yards with one interception while adding another four yards and a score with his legs.

"I thought he did a good job," McVay said of Bennett's performance following the loss. "I thought it was good to be able to end with the touchdown drive. I thought he saw the field well; there was a miscommunication on the one interception that he threw. Obviously, he thought that was going to be a different route, and so those are things that happen, and these are great opportunities for us to be able to learn."

With just one more preseason game until the start of the regular season, the Rams hope to see another promising performance from Bennett against the Denver Broncos.

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Harrison Reno
HARRISON RENO

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