The Los Angeles Rams got off to good start to preseason, beating the Dallas Cowboys 13-12. Head coach Sean McVay sat the regulars, but did get a good look at backup quarterback Stetson Bennett.
Bennett missed the entirety of his rookie season but got plenty of reps against the Cowboys. Bennett was able to lead the Rams to victory, though McVay broke down the four interceptions he threw and how he could learn from them.
“The first two were tough because those are kind of occupational hazards,” McVay said. “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.
“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.”
McVay did give Bennett credit for being able to sustain drives and put the Rams in positions to score. “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. 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.”
Overall, it was a solid showing from Bennett who is in line for more work during the preseason with the Rams.
Jordan Whittington relished making Rams debut
The Dallas game was also a big day for Jordan Whittington, who made his NFL debut and he later said he enjoyed every moment of it.
