INGLEWOOD — Here are five takeaways from the Rams’ 23-22 preseason win over the Chargers:
Comeback kid
The smile on Mike LaFleur’s face as Stetson Bennett IV got to the sideline said it all.
Bennett had just unleashed a laser, hitting receiver Mario Williams in stride for a 38-yard touchdown. LaFleur’s face was red and stretched wide as he greeted the quarterback back to the sidelines, eyes wrinkled in mirth at the accuracy of the throw.
Bennett followed up his steady preseason debut with another strong effort. He completed 28 of 40 passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns. He led the Rams on a nine-play touchdown drive to open the game against the Chargers’ starting defense, hitting rookie Konata Mumpfield on play-action for a touchdown.
But it was the way that Bennett shook off his one mistake that really stood out. Bennett threw an interception to a defensive tackle dropping into coverage in the fourth quarter. After chasing down and making the tackle, Bennett was able to reset and eventually lead the Rams on a game-winning, 10-play drive.
“I think it’s very important when you give up an interception the way you do in that situation and then you come back and you just respond, that’s what life’s about and that’s what we want to see specifically from a quarterback,” assistant head coach Aubrey Pleasant said. “We’ve all seen him win a couple national championships in college and you see some of that thread work with his confidence and his belief in his teammates.”
He started the two-minute drill with a chunk play to Mark Redman, picking up 15 yards. He converted two fourth downs, including a 40-yard gain to Brennan Presley, the undrafted rookie leaping up and using strong hands to make the catch in double coverage.
Then Bennett fired a bullet to Tru Edwards for the game-winning score with five seconds left, solidifying his hold on a roster spot in the process.
“It was pretty cool, I’m not going to lie,” Bennett said. “Because I was tired out there. That was a hard-fought one and … it was pretty sweet.”
Secondary concerns
As the battle for the final cornerback job continues, veteran A.J. Green and second-year undrafted player Charles Woods probably made the best cases for the roster spot. Green responded well to an early mistake letting a receiver behind with two pass breakups, including one on a fade route at the goal line. And Woods had strong coverage on two key plays, a third-down play at the end of the second quarter and a two-point conversion on the third, that resulted in incompletions.
On Green, Pleasant said, “I thought A.J. really came out hot. I think the thing that we understand really early is they were taking those three-by-one isolations into the boundary. And after a couple of plays back-to-back he kind of stood up and realized what it was going to be. … I was very proud on how he responded.”
Pressure up front
Third-year defensive tackle Desjuan Johnson had a strong day. He had two pressures that resulted in Brennan Jackson sacks, then added a run stuff in the second half.
O-line watch
Justin Dedich started the game at right guard and Beaux Limmer at center as the Rams continued to sort through their options for backup interior offensive linemen. The pair swapped spots to open the second half before Limmer left the game. Willie Lampkin also got reps at center and left guard before leaving the game with an undisclosed injury.
No Stafford update
Asked to confirm that quarterback Matthew Stafford (back) completed his scheduled workout on Saturday, a Rams spokesperson declined to comment, adding that head coach Sean McVay would address the situation in his Monday press conference.
Stafford, 37, has missed all of training camp and the preseason with an aggravated disc in his back. He was scheduled to return to practice Monday before experiencing increased soreness in his back that morning, which delayed that milestone.
Stafford was not present on the sidelines for any of the Rams’ practices this week, and was not visible on the sidelines during the game against the Chargers. Stafford was on the sidelines for last week’s win over the Cowboys.