Stetson Bennett had another rollercoaster of a game, this time against the Chargers, putting in a performance that leaves fans and the Rams’ coaching staff with more questions than answers.
Bennett was much better than last week, limiting turnovers and poor decisions. He also looked much more calm in the pocket and wasn’t so quick to pull the trigger. This was until the third quarter when Bennett had a string of drives that defies logic or reason.
Bennett was leading a potential scoring drive downfield until he threw an interception on fourth and goal. Two drives later, Bennett linked up with J.J. Laap for the eventual game-winning 47-yard touchdown strike with just under 10 minutes to play. Bennett would then fumble when attempting to pick up a few yards on the following drive after his TD pass.
The Rams got a stop on downs on the ensuing possession and then they would proceed to run out the clock, securing victory.
Stetson on the money for the 47-yard TD 💰
📱: Stream #LARvsLAC on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/ZntyWFiuDB
— NFL (@NFL) August 18, 2024
Bennett’s performance saturday proves that he’s not ready to be a primary backup yet. It’s clear that his absence during his rookie year has severely delayed his development.
However, it wasn’t all negative as Bennett linked up with Jordan Whittington early and often. His interception, though poor, wasn’t devastating and quite frankly, it was a bad play call. Yes, Xavier Smith was open but the ball needed to be out quickly and he was at best the third read on the play.
Chargers come up with an interception on 4th & Goal!
📱: Stream #LARvsLAC on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/dgfNBM9pPe
— NFL (@NFL) August 18, 2024
Here are the facts. Bennett simply isn’t ready to play in the NFL yet. He needs time and he needs to improve his arm strength. Bennett also has flashed the ability to make throws on the run and he’s slowly improved since the start of training camp.
Yes, the defense has been playing lights out but Bennett is 2-0 this preseason and has thrown two straight game-winning touchdowns. The biggest takeaway from Week 2 is that we need to see him in Week 3 in order to get a proper evaluation.
For a player that was seemingly out of the league less than a year ago, that’s a major positive.
