Stetson Bennett Impresses in Los Angeles Rams First Half, Falls Apart in 2nd… Then Totally Redeems Himself With Last Second TD

Heading into Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said he wanted to get Stetson Bennett a “bunch of work.” In the first half alone, Bennett attempted 20 passes. The Rams kept him in into the second half, which is when things came apart.

Having a competent quarterback to back up Matthew Stafford , who is 36 years old, has become important. Bennett showed he could be that with his play in the first half. But not in the second.

Los Angeles Rams Backup QB, Stetson Bennett Shines in First Half

Sunday started off looking like Bennett’s best performance of the four preseason games that he has played thus far in his limited career. In the first half, he connected on 60 percent of his passes for 110 yards. While the stat line is modest, how Bennett has operated in the pocket is by far the best part of his game, rather than tucking and running when his first couple of reads were covered or when the pocket was under pressure.

In the first half, that wasn’t the case. He cleverly marched the ball down the field with the measured countenance of a veteran QB. He led drives of 12 plays twice and another for 15 plays. He was also 4 for 5 on his first drive.

Bennett’s favorite target has been rookie wide receiver, Jordan Whittington . He was targeted nine times, catching six of them for 74 yards, with a big gain of 30 yards early in the first quarter.

In the Rams preseason last year, Bennett threw for 347 yards on 62 attempts, throwing one touchdown and three interceptions.

Bennett’s outing started well but he fell back into some bad tendencies. He couldn’t get a touchdown despite marching the ball into the red zone. He also threw five interceptions. This 5.5 yards per catch reflects his shortcomings when trying to create big explosive plays. He did take a shot into the end zone but was unable to connect with a diving Tyler Johnson , who had a step on the defender.

The Rams decided to keep Bennett in the game after those turnovers. On the final drive, Stetson Bennett rolled out of the pocket on 4th and goal and found a tight end in the back of the end zone to tie the game. Joshua Karty then put the Rams ahead with the extra point

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