After spending almost a full year away from football to focus on personal issues, Stetson Bennett made his official in-game return to the Los Angeles Rams in their preseason debut against the Dallas Cowboys.
The results? Well, they were a bit of a mixed bag.
Starting off the game as quarterback and sticking under center as the lone QB to throw a pass for Sean McVay, Bennett's night was a mixed bag, leading all players in passing yards at 224 but throwing four interceptions versus just one touchdown on the way to a 13-12 win in LA.
Now, to some, throwing four picks in a game borderline guarantees an ugly effort, and overall, Bennett did put plenty of bad plays on film, but it was that lone touchdown that really helped to define his night, as it came on the final Rams drive of the game, when his team needed him most. Down 12-6 with just under three minutes to play, Bennett took his team down the field and absolutely threaded the needle to Miller Forristall for a six-yard touchdown that effectively iced out the game with four seconds to go.
Asked what he thought of Bennett's efforts in the game by reporters afterward, McVay celebrated the Georgia QB for sticking to his guns, as he was ultimately rewarded for remaining resilient.
“The first two were tough because those are kind of occupational hazards. He will be able to learn from them. The second two, we have to be able to make better decisions. On his third one, our X fell, so that safety didn't have any work. He ended up coming off. We had a play that we really liked there. The last one, he's got a high cross. He has to change the way that he's layering that ball, but he is a resilient guy,” McVay told reporters.
“All of them are ones that he can learn from, and I thought he did a really good job of being able to keep us ahead of the sticks [and] really moving us down the field. We obviously kind of petered out in the red zone, but I thought he did a great job getting us in and out of the huddle. I want to be able to learn from those plays, but for him to be able to just stay together [and] make some of the plays. I thought the fourth down, where we ended up drawing the penalty to be able to advance the drive, and then for him to create off-schedule on fourth and sixth was big time.”
Would it have really mattered if the Rams won or lost the game? Nope, for better or worse, Bennett is the Rams' QB3 in 2024, even if he goes on a Purdy-esque run through the preseason, and that won't change if he throws four picks or four touchdowns. Still, showing he can very much maintain composure when the game is on the line has to mean something to McVay as he noted later in the press conference.
Rams HC Sean McVay is proud of Stetson Bennett's composure
Asked to specifically break down Bennett's final drive, McVay took reporters through it, noting just how well the former fourth-round pick handled the situation despite his earlier struggles.
“I think it was just that. He orchestrated long drives and part of it was getting us in and out of the right calls. The runs part of it was being able to keep the ball in play, whether it was in quick game or even in some of the bootlegs where he's able to extend and make some plays where he still is delivering the ball well,” McVay explained. “I thought the fourth down conversion with his legs early on in the first quarter was good, but I was pleased with him. Yeah, obviously, those plays will stand out but I think it's just about how do you stay together? How do you respond in the midst of it? How do you know that all I can do is the next right thing? That's exactly what he did on that last drive.”
With two more preseason games left to play, it will be interesting to see if Bennett can continue to build on his strong final drive or if he will instead continue to struggle as he attempts to forge chemistry on the spot with all of the Rams' young receiving options like rookie sixth-round pick Jordan Whittington. Fortunately, unless something seriously changes, he should have the bulk of, if not every single offensive snap in each game, to do just that, with the results playing no small role in his evaluation heading into the future.
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