Rams QB Stetson Bennett Evaluates First NFL Game: 'You Live And You Learn!'

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett reflects on his first taste of NFL action in Saturday's preseason loss to the Los Angeles Chargers

With the Los Angeles Rams kicking off their preseason slate on Saturday night, rookie quarterback Stetson Bennett also got his first taste of NFL action. 

The rookie quarterback entered the Rams' 34-17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers midway through the second quarter and stayed in until the end. In his NFL debut, Bennett completed 17 of his 29 passes for 191 yards, one touchdown and no turnovers. Not a bad performance for his first career game.

Of course, Bennett has some things he'd like to improve on in the future, and it would've been nice to get to the win. However, the feeling of getting out on the field for the first time is something he won't soon forget.

“It was cool, it was fun," Bennett told reporters after the game. "It was fun to finally get out there and honestly get hit, you know? I'm not going to win with many of those, but it's good to, I don't know, feel like a football player again and it's fun to get out there and compete. 

"There's a few things to...I wish we would've scored on that drive when it was, I think we were down 10 and we started inside our own 10 and we went three and out. I wish we would've gotten that one and then maybe it's a different game. But you live and you learn..”

Bennett got off to a slow start with three straight incompletions but began to find his footing as the game went on. After shaking off the initial nerves, Bennett says he started letting the game come to him.

“Yeah, I mean it's the first...I know it's a preseason game, but it's the first NFL game that you're playing in," Bennett said. "You're going to come in and be a little nervous, try to make a play when sometimes plays aren't there, but then as (we) started (to get in) a groove, we started calling plays and you start to settle in."

If Bennett showed anything in his college career, it's that he's not one to shy away from the spotlight. He led the Georgia Bulldogs to back-to-back national championships and even finished as a Heisman Trophy Finalist in 2022. The former college walk-on has faced many challenges and doubts, but he persevered through it all and has now made it to the NFL.

As Bennett competes for the job of top backup behind Matthew Stafford, another former Bulldog, that kind of tenacity will be essential once again.

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You can follow Jonathan Alfano on Twitter @JonAlfano_News

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