The LA Rams won a clunky, hard-fought preseason game. While the final score will mean very little to the team when the regular season starts, this is as close to a dress rehearsal as you can find at this point of the NFL season. As such, you take what you can get. And from what we have seen so far, there is a great deal to like about this team for the 2024 NFL season, and beyond.
The team touted depth, energy, and passion in OTAs and training camp, and that was exactly what showed up on the football field.
It was not a pretty win. But this was never about the win. It was about a collection of young football players collectively learning how to play and win, football games. I think that was on display in the first preseason game. Players could have taken their mistakes to heart and mailed in the last quarter of the game after falling behind. That is never going to happen this season.
Not by this team.
Not for these coaches.
Some think that after a year's hiatus, one game marred by turnovers is proof enough to compel the Rams to release him here and now. But if that was the case, should the same argument have been made by LA Rams legendary quarterback Bob Waterfield, who threw seven interceptions in one game on October 17, 1948, against the Green Bay Packers? Or perhaps QB Norm Van Brocklin should have been released after throwing six interceptions in one game against the Detroit Lions on October 13, 1957.
Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed then. And this game was only preseason. It was the first game back in the saddle for the young quarterback Stetson Bennett. So it seems far too premature to make a decision to end the guy's career on the LA Rams football team doing what his head coach instructed him to do.
If you recall, Coach McVay did not pull in the reins of his young quarterback. Instead, he encouraged the guy to 'just cut it loose and enjoy it.' That advice was not given without thought. It was a keenly insightful direction to a young quarterback who feared the worst and hoped for the best. It was the guidance of a mentor to a prodege to trust his instincts. It was the instruction of a caring coach to a player who needed to be reminded to play for the fun of it.
And when the game seemed lost, the outcome sealed, time running out and the offense in a make or break scenario, Stetson Bennett scrambled to his left, flipped his hips and instinctively threw a dart to tight end Miller Forristall in the end zone for the game winning score.
It was an instinctive play. A play that happened so quickly that Stetson Bennett could not overthink it or second guess himself. Ultimately, it was a touchdown. And as it happened, the words from his head coach seemed prophetic.
"Just cut loose and enjoy it"
There is a tendency to throw anything and everything away now. Unlike many years ago, when repairing something was the more economical decision, the advent of micro-everything, computerized smart devices, and holding the power to connect to the world in the palm of your hand has changed not only how we view our gadgets and possessions.
It has changed how we view the world around us too.
Had that trend been used in the team's first preseason game, the Rams would likely have replaced Bennett with Dresser Winn. As a result, Bennett would have to sit on the bench, knowing that he had thrown four interceptions, and likely cost his team a victory. And that would have been a dark place to leave a young quarterback after walking away from the game for a year due to what many now have labeled simple mental fatigue.
The Rams coaching staff had other ideas. Knowing and trusting Stetson Bennett's ability, the team left him in. After all, he dug the hole that the team found itself in. So it only seemed like the wise decision to hold him accountable to dig himself, and the team, out of it.
But before we rush to judge, or even revisit the final offensive play from Bennett, let's step back and give the guy his due. Stetson Bennett was able to bootleg for five yards to move the chains and keep the offense moving forward on one series. Despite being away from competitive football, he completed 24 of 38 passes (a 63.2 percent completion rate) for 224 yards. He was sacked twice for a loss of nine yards. And though he threw four interceptions, and narrowly avoided throwing a fifth pick, he was able to place his receivers into position to showcase their talents.
Jordan Whittington, Xavier Smith, Sam Wiglusz, Miller Forristall, Drake Stoops, Boston Scott, Tyler Johnson, and even Zach Evans were all able to show their ability to catch passes thanks to the ability of Stetson Bennett to find them as they created separation on their routes.
And so, the dramatic stage was set. It came down to one play, time running out, and the Rams trailing the Dallas Cowboys by six points. A field goal would mean nothing. It was the end zone, or go home.
Stetson Bennett found TE Miller Forristall at the back of the end zone.
A game-winning clutch throw. Does that forgive four interceptions? Perhaps not. But that is the reality of football. Interceptions only happen to quarterbacks who dare to just cut loose and enjoy it. In the end, it seems like Coach McVay knows what he is talking about.
Now that's how you win a football game
Of course, the best way to win a football game is for the defense to shut out the opposing team. While that did not happen in this first preseason game, the defense did seem to have the ability to do so at some point in 2024. But we will discuss the defense in an upcoming slide.
How do you create a team out of unrelated individual football players? The easiest way to do so is to make them face adversity together. That is the reason for the miserable conditions that new recruits face when enlisting in any of the many branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. Basic training is structured in a way that allows newly arrived troops to trust one another. After all, everyone in basic training has two common goals: Survival and graduation. To accomplish those goals, they must learn how to perform as a unit - a team.
Dramatic moments may seem special in the aftermath. But the drama comes from the uncertainty of the outcome. Let's face it, you had to be nearly comatose not to be on the edge of your seats for what was merely a preseason game. It has the electricity and emotions of a game that mean so much more.
Perhaps to Stetson Bennett, it did:
It's unfair to place the burden of winning a game on any single player. We know that the final score indicates the effort and performance of everyone on the team. And as you can see on the embedded video below, if not for the quick thinking of tight end Miller Forristall to come back and give his quarterback a wide target in the end zone, the outcome may have been a different story.
In the end, the offensive line held. Stetson Bennett did scramble to his left, flipped his hips, and threw a touchdown pass to a tight end who came across to help out his quarterback. So much went into one play. And that is how it works sometimes.
Rams stick with QB Stetson Bennett the entire game
Based on the stories and social media comments after the game, it's clear that many would have yanked Bennett from the game after two interceptions. But the onus of preseason for the guy was clearly stated by his head coach:
"Command, control, being able to get in and out of the huddle."
A simple set of instructions. But so very profound in their application to a live-game performance. It was as those Coach McVay was telling his quarterback to not worry about the outcome of individual plays. Just go out there, play your hardest, and have fun as you do it. It doesn't take a PhD in Psychatry to understand that Bennett needed to get back on the horse. His last experience was a nightmare, a three interception performance against the Denver Broncos in which he was yanked early.
He would get no such mercy in this one.
And so, the post game press conference featured both HC Sean McVay and QB Stetson Bennett. It was an honor for Bennett to face the media after struggling but overcoming his hesitancy.
McVay was loose and laughing at the podium. He was relaxed. That is telling because his quarterback had followed his directions to the letter. And at the 0:50 mark in the above video, McVay is asked to share what he saw from his quarterback:
"The first two were tough, you know, because those are kind of occupational hazards. He (Stetson Bennett) 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(-receiver) fell so that safety didn’t have any work. He ended up coming off. We had a play that we really liked there.
- Rams HC Sean Mcvay
And then 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. 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, 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. Obviously, we want to be able to learn from those plays, but for him to be able to just stay together, 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-6 was big time."
It was clear that McVay was not alarmed. This was a matter of fact discussion, a way of relaying what happened. But the key phrasing to this narrative was the repetitive nature of the 'learning from them' phrasing that indicates more investing into the quarterback, and not distancing himself from his player.
How did QB Stetson Bennett grade himself in his first game in nearly a year?
I had to feel for Stetson Bennett in the press conference in the video. He played a roller coaster of a game. But when he was thinking about his play, he was overthinking the role and ended up subject to mental lapses. When he stopped thinking, and played instinctively, he made great plays, but didn't have the wherewithal to recollect and restate what he saw and how the mechanics of the play worked.
He just went out there and made the play work.
He had to measure his words. He was fighting the battle of celebrating the win while reflecting and replaying his errors. It was clear from his demeanor and body language, that he was conflicted in the way he viewed himself. His best insight came at the 9:00-minute mark when he was asked what he felt was the value of going through a game like that.
"I think it’s great and I think it’s just, really good to have – that was probably the weirdest game that I’ve ever been a part of, to be quite honest with you.
- Steton Bennett
Yeah. I don’t know. I told myself today, we’re going to roll with the punches and we’re going to – my goal was to not make any mental errors, which I know it was basically to run the offense correctly. And I know the interceptions are different, but like, to run in and out of the huddle, execute, and I thought we did that for the majority of the day.
There were some lapses, obviously. But in the end, it was get the ball in the end zone or you lose. And I think everybody kind of felt to do it.
"
Bennett improvises in the pocket. That is who he is, and who the team drafted. McVay loves guys who can make plays work as they break down. Stetson Bennett is not held to the menu, and as you witnessed in this one, he plays at his best when he runs on pure instinct.
This is a humble second-year player who is coachable, willing to learn, and who understands that he is rebuilding his skillset from the ground up. And what I heard in this press conference is not a player who should be released. Rather, I saw and heard a football player who is taking the first steps to reclaim his ability to play in the NFL.
(1) - The decision to take out TE Nicola Kalinic for TE Miller Forristall
While fans can be a bit reactionary, keep in mind that the game and the players on the football field are all competing for a spot on the team. But the level of talent and the ability of those players to make plays are all over the place. The Rams are starting TE Colby Parkinson, who did not play in the team's first preseason game. So who did?
- TE Davis Allen - 23 offensive snaps - 47.2 overall grade (PFF)
- TE Hunter Long - 16 offensive snaps - no grade
- TE Nicola Kalinic - 8 offensive snaps - no grade
- TE Miller Foristall - 24 offensive snaps - 71.1 overall grade (PFF)
Okay, so why is subbing in Miller Forristall for Nicola Kalinic worth discussing? As it turned out, only two tight ends were active in the passing game. TE Davis Allen was targeted once, and had no receptions. But TE Miller Forristall was targeted three times, caught all three passes for 20 yards, and hauled in the only touchdown pass in the game.
Without Forristall on the football field, there may not have been a clutch touchdown catch to tie up the score, and set up kicker Joshua Karty for the game-winning extra point.
(2) - A Rams resilient defense that only allowed 12 points in the game
The Dallas Cowboys scored four times, all field goals. And those scoring drives began at the Dallas Cowboys:
- 30-yard line, following a kickoff for a touchback
- 30-yard line, following another kickoff for a touchback.
- 20-yard line, following a punt into the end zone.
- At the LA Rams 23-yard line, following an interception.
Despite giving the football away via an interception four times, the Rams defense only allowed three points to be scored from those turnovers, And that lone field goal was almost unpreventable, as the Cowboys offense took over already in field goal range. So, how did the Rams stop the Cowboys from scoring after giving away the football?
- First interception - The defense held after allowing the Cowboys to get 1st-and-10 at the Rams' 12-yard line, and 4th-and-1 at the Rams' 3-yard line. The defense held, and the offense took over on downs
- Second interception- The defense held after the Cowboys took over on their own 36-yard line with 25 seconds remaining. The team allowed the Cowboys to convert a 4th-and-6 on the Cowboys 40-yard line, but time ran out and the first half ended.
- Third interception - The defense held after the Cowboys took over on their own 35-yard line. After advancing the football to the Rams' 36-yard line on 4th and 5, Cowboys QB Trey Lance was sacked for an 11-yard loss by Rams OLB Zach VanValkenburg, forcing another turnover on downs.
- Fourth interception - After taking over on the LA Rams' 23-yard line, the defense pushed the Cowboys back to the 34-yard line with a quarterback sack, an incompletion, a penalty, and a tackle for a loss on a completed pass. The Cowboys were able to convert a 34-yard field goal on 4th-and-21.
In the end, the defense showed up in a huge way to negate the interceptions. Only one of four of those turnovers translated to Dallas Cowboy points, and only three points at that. It seemed in this game that the Rams defense, much like their quarterback, played their best when their backs were up against the wall.
(3) - Head Coach Sean McVay for sticking with Stetson Bennett
As we had stated before, there was a bit of quarterback whisperer in LA Rams HC Sean McVay in this one. Rather than pull Bennett from the game when the chips were down, McVay left Bennett in the game. The defense was playing well. And when he wasn't throwing the football into the hands of a defender, Bennett ws making some rather impressive throws.
The hardest decisions to make in life are frequently the decision to do nothing and wait it out. After all, have we always made matters better by getting more actively involved? In the case of leaving well enough alone in the first preseason game, it was the right choice. By letting their quarterback hit bedrock, and then pull off a win, the team proved to a desperate for positive news backup quarterback to trust his teammates, his coaching staff, and himself.
I could be way off base, but I think he grew significantly in this one preseason game.
(4) - An effective Rams rushing attack that kept the defense honest
The LA Rams rushed 28 times for 101 yards. Of that amount, Stetson Bennett recorded one key bootleg for five yards to move the chains and refresh another set of dows. But the team got 28 yards on 12 carries from second-year running back Zach Evans. And the team also enjoyed 68 rushing yards on 15 carries from veteran running back Boston Scott.
It was enough to remind the Rams offense that they can run the football effectively.
While the impact of 101 yards may not excite fans, this was a preseason game played by backups of backups in some cases. And that makes a huge difference, because the players competing in this game were not the players getting quality reps in training camp. These are the players were were not in the front of the line when it can to practices. And yet, when the team needed them to come through, they delivered.
(5) - That penalty of Cowboys DB Josh Butler
Sometimes, it takes a little luck to win a game. And in the case of the LA Rams come-from-behind victory over the Dallas Cowboys, it's tough to deny that a bit of luck was involved on the final offensive drive by the Rams. The Rams were in a desperate situation. It was fourth-down and nine yards to go from the Rams own 31-yard line. The Rams were pushed back five yards by a false start from center Mike McAlister. Bennett then completed a six-yard pass to running back Boston Scott for six yards.
On the next play, Bennett was sacked for a loss of nine yards. But on the third down play with 18 yards to go, Bennett found tight end Miller Forristall for nine yards. On the next play, Bennett attempted to find WR Drake Stoops, but the pass was intercepted by Cowboys DB Emany Johnson. Or so everyone thought. A flag on the play was explained to be defensive holding on Cowboys defensive back Josh Butler. While only a five-yard penalty, it also came with an automatic first down.
The Rams offense stayed on the football field, and the rest is history.
(6) - Kicker Joshua Karty for sealing the victory
Kickers are paid to kick field goals and extra points. But after the automatic field goals and extra points are no longer automatic, there is a renewed sense of appreciation for thos sometimes taken-for-granted moments in a game. Well, even as the Rams fans may not be willing to take any matter regarding the placekicker for granted just yet, I can see a day for rookie kicker Joshua Karty when the fans do exactly that.
While the touchdown from QB Stetson Bennett to TE Miller Forristall was the play that set up the LA Rams for victory, it was the extra point kicked from rookie kicker Joshua Karty that put the team ahead and actually won the game. Even more thought-provoking, Joshua Karty's two successful field goals and one successful extra point made him the Rams highest scorer in Game 1.
While I love what Joshua Karty did in his first preseason game, I am not expecting him to have perfect games throughout his rookie season. He may struggle at times. But he will prove to be a solid kicker.
What this thrilling finish means for the team, and Stetson Bennett.
Sometimes you have to take a punch to get yourself back up off the canvas and fight harder. Even as he returned to the pocket, this was not an easy game for Stetson Bennett. He was back in the place of his last NFL memories. He was forced to relive a four of nine completion, three interception performance against the Denver Broncos defense in 2023 all over again. But this time, he threw fourth interceptions, and barely avoided throwing a fifth interception.
And after one game, following an absence from professional football, some are proclaiming his future, his career, and his relevancy on the Rams roster to be over. Apparently, it's one and done. I argue a different outcome from the young quarterback. In this game, he had to face adversity, his fears, and his demons. But he did not do so alone. You could see it from his teammates. The defensive never gave up on him. His offensive line never gave up on him. His receivers and running backs never gave up on him.
Most importantly, his coaches never gave up on him.
I understand. If you have never had the type of friendships that provided those special type of people in your life when all your chips were down, then it's easy to scoff at a young quarterback and call for his NFL career to end. And right now, many are doing so.
But expensive lessons are valuable lessons. And the value is not in trashing the bad experiences, but in growing and learning from them.
Conclusion: Finishing this game on such an uptick could carry over into the season
Coach Sean McVay gave no indications that the team needed to look elsewhere for quarterback talent. He made no suggestion that the team is lacking in the quarterback room. In many ways, he had plenty of confidence in his quarterback.
I am not the only one to see positives from this game. Around the NFL writer Nick Shook wrote a solid piece that highlighted the fact that it was Bennett's winner's mentality, and not four interceptions, that should be what fans and analysts take away from his first game in nearly a year.
And when the instincts kicked in, he was back to the two-time NCAA Championship-winning quarterback out of Georgia:
I get it. It's a data-driven world, and the raw data from Game 1 of the LA Rams preseason was not overwhelming proof that Stetson Bennett can hack it in the NFL. But Sean McVay gave no indication that the sky is falling. In fact, after preseason, we will likely not see or hear about Stetson Bennett until 2025.
Sometimes we kick up more dust than we should. Sometimes we find the solution simply by waiting for the solution to present itself. Even as QB Stetson Bennett may not be prepared to take over and lead the Rams to Super Bowl LIX, is any quarterback currently available capable of doing so? If you wish to spend hours creating 'what if . . .?' scenarios over the Rams quarterback situation, have at it.
After the dust settled, McVay speaks again about his quarterback
If you think that Coach McVay closed his eyes to the game performance of his young quarterback, he didn't. He saw what we saw, and his post-game comments were intended to ensure that he was not publicly ripping into his quarterback's performance before both he and the coaching staff had the opportunity to dig into what went wrong, and what went right, in the game.
For those fans who want the hammer to fall on Bennett, it's still possible. What Coach McVay had to say after the game mirrored what many of the fans were saying. For the time being, the coaching staff is still in the evaluation process.
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio quoted Coach McVay after Tuesday's practice, and was able to pen these comments from the coach:
"Yeah, I think we still have to be able to see some more body of work.
- Coach McVay
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 (Stetson Bennett) 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. We do need to take better care of the football. That is a very important thing. All of those are very correctable and really in a lot of them, it’s not necessarily with the exception
Well, a couple of them were bad decisions and then a couple of them were just missed the way that you want to throw, make the type of layered throw. but you’re going to the right spot. All things that we can learn from. He has to continue to improve and we’re still in evaluation mode."
One game. That is not enough data to decide the fate of a young man's NFL career. And that is how I see it too. It could be that in 2024, we see the opposite of what we witnessed in 2023. Then, we had a quarterback who started hot, but regressed. Perhaps this season we will witness a quarterback who struggles out of the gates, but who improves rapidly.
For now, I'm only seeing one game, and one data point. A trend needs two data points. Let's see how the team fares in their next preseason game.
And as always, thank you so much for reading.
