The Los Angeles Rams changed things up at quarterback in their second preseason game on Saturday. Stetson Bennett still got the start over Ty Simpson, but the playing time split was much closer than it was in the opener.
After playing just two series against the Chiefs last week, Bennett played the entire first half, which included five total possessions. Simpson then came in to start the second half, relieving Bennett after his productive half of football.
The QB2 battle still appears to be open behind Matthew Stafford, but it’s hard to discern exactly which direction the Rams will go with Bennett and Simpson. It still seems likely that they’ll keep three quarterbacks on the initial 53, though that doesn’t diminish how meaningful these preseason games are.
Let’s take a look at how each quarterback played against the Saints on Saturday.
Stetson Bennett
Bennett barely got a chance to do anything in the opener against the Chiefs, playing just two series and mostly either handing it off or taking short checkdowns. Against the Saints on Saturday, he had more freedom. He took shots down the field, nearly connecting on a deep ball to Tyler Scott that could have gone for a touchdown. Scott appeared to slow down slightly, which could be the reason for their missed connection, but it was a good throw by Bennett, nonetheless.
Shortly after that incompletion, Bennett came right back to Scott with arguably his best throw of the day. He threw a flat-footed sidearm dime to Scott on fourth down, moving the chains with a perfectly layered ball over the top of the defender. Scott had to lay out for the reception, but the ball couldn’t have been put in a much better spot.
Bennett showed off another element of his game: mobility. He’s always been mobile, going back to his days at Georgia, and he used his legs perfectly on multiple plays in the red zone. He rushed for two touchdowns after failing to find anyone open, outrunning the defense to the pylon both times.
While not exactly a burner, Bennett’s running ability opens things up once the play breaks down.
Bennett wasn’t perfect. He only completed 61% of his passes, and a few throws sailed on him out of the reach of his intended receiver. But after barely throwing the ball last week, he took calculated shots down the field when given the opportunity.
According to PFF, his average depth of target was 9.7 on Saturday after being just 3.2 a week ago.
All in all, it was an undeniably positive performance from the fourth-year quarterback.
Ty Simpson
This week, it was Simpson whose opportunities were limited. Though he played an entire half like Bennett, his snaps were minimal due to long drives by the Saints offense and a 100-yard pick-six by Rams safety Alex Cook. It also didn’t help that his second drive started at his own 1-yard line.
As a result, he attempted just 12 passes, which had an average depth of target of 7.3 – still up from his 5.3 ADOT last week. For the most part, he took what the defense gave him and didn’t force the issue, especially with such a big lead.
He used his legs a bit in this one, too, rushing for 11 yards on his first two carries before kneeling down to end the game.
His best sequence was back-to-back completions to Alex Bachman and Tru Edwards in the fourth quarter, gaining 14 and 15 yards, respectively. Just like last week, he didn’t put the ball in harm’s way, which is a good sign for the young quarterback.
There was much less to take away from Simpson’s performance than Bennett’s, simply because of how tough the game script was for him with the Rams building a big lead, and the fact that he only got three possessions – one of which started at the 1.
He could get more playing time next week in the finale, especially if Bennett is emerging as the favorite to be the QB2.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Breaking down how Stetson Bennett and Ty Simpson played vs. Saints
Reporting by Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire | USA TODAY Network
