Stetson Bennett has been battling in the preseason to be the backup quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams while Jimmy Garoppolo misses the first two weeks. Head coach Sean McVay wanted to see if Bennett was up for the challenge, and his play has helped his case for being the QB2. Bennett didn't play in the Rams preseason finale against the Houston Texans, and McVay shared his thoughts on what he saw from the quarterback the past few weeks.
“He did a good job,” McVay said. “I think he got a body of work in terms of both of those games going from wire to wire. I think he’s done really well in some of the practice settings. And when you do look at it, you’re obviously very fortunate to have Jimmy that will be coming back on Week 3, but he’s done enough that we feel good about him for those first couple weeks.”
Garoppolo was signed to be the backup to Stafford but will miss the first two weeks of the regular season due to a suspension under the PED policy. If something happens to Stafford in the first two weeks, Bennett will be ready when his number is called.
Sean McVay believes in Stetson Bennett as the Rams' QB2
Stetson Bennett didn't have a great start to the preseason, throwing four interceptions against the Dallas Cowboys, but ultimately leading a game-winning drive with a touchdown. After that game, Sean McVay told the media he still wanted to see more from Bennett before naming him the QB2.
“I think we still have to be able to see some more body of work,” McVay said. “What I did like was what I mentioned to you . . . to be able to stay together. That’s a tough deal when you have the ball [and] when you turn it over a handful of times. It was [a tough situation]. He kind of mentioned it in the postgame [interviews] to you guys where he thought he was seeing some things and then the mistakes ended up being pretty costly but he just kept playing. He kept fighting. The guys kept believing around him. I was really impressed with the resilience that he demonstrated.”
In the second preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Bennett had a much better showing, throwing for 213 yards with one touchdown and an interception.
It's clear that Bennett has improved through the preseason, and he earned the right to be the backup quarterback while Jimmy Garoppolo is out.
The Rams are hoping that Matthew Stafford stays healthy, even with a few injuries that he's been dealing with during training camp, but he should be ready when their season starts against the Detroit Lions.
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