Strong Stetson Bennett Showing Not Enough for Rams vs. Chargers

The Los Angeles Rams lost to the Los Angeles Chargers in their preseason opener, despite being boosted by a solid debut performance from rookie quarterback Stetson Bennett.

A story created for Hollywood continued in Inglewood, California, on Saturday night as rookie quarterback Stetson Bennett made his NFL preseason debut for the Los Angeles Rams in their matchup with the LA Chargers. 

While the latest installment in the series, which is the career of Bennett, didn't have a happy ending, as the Rams fell 34-17, it didn't finish without its positives. 

After initially starting the game on the sidelines as Rams coach Sean McVay decided to go with the veteran Brett Rypien as the starter in place of Matthew Stafford, who was inactive like other key contributors, Bennett made an impact once his number was called. 

With the Rams trailing 13-0 midway through the second quarter, the former walk-on overcame a rocky start to his first NFL drive as both of his first two passes should've been intercepted. Bennett rebounded from the "turnover-worthy plays," as Pro Football Focus termed them, with an 11-yard touchdown pass to fellow rookie Puka Nacua. 

The touchdown to Nacua proved to be just the start of his resurgence, as he'd complete 14 of his next 22 throws while leading the Rams on another touchdown drive before the clock struck triple zeros. 

Bennett's final stat line read 17 of 29 passing for 191 yards and a touchdown. The former Bulldog fared much better in his preseason debut than his veteran competitor for the backup spot behind Stafford, Rypien, who completed just three of his six passes for 11 yards. 

Rypien got just three drives as the "starting" quarterback for the Rams before he was pulled for the rookie fourth-round selection out of Georgia. Despite the promising performance from Bennett, the Rams fell to the Chargers and topped off the game with two fourth-quarter rushing touchdowns.

Bennett and the Rams will be in action next Saturday, August 19th, as they will host the Las Vegas Raiders, with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m. (PT).

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