Reaction: Stetson Bennett has rough preseason finale
Former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett capped off the NFL preseason with his worst performance of the preseason. Bennett and the Los Angeles Rams looked bad in a ugly 41-0 loss to the Denver Broncos.
Bennett completed 4 of 9 passes and threw for just 14 passing yards. Bennett threw a pair of interceptions on third down and was pulled from the game.
Bennett started his NFL preseason with a strong debut in Week 1. Bennett, who was the 128th pick of the 2023 NFL draft, had a more up-and-down performance against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2.
In Week 3, no Los Angeles quarterback looked particularly sharp. Bennett’s main competition for the No. 2 role behind starting quarterback Matthew Stafford, Brett Rypien, completed 7 of 13 passes for 67 passing yards. Rypien threw no touchdowns or interceptions.
What was the reaction to Stetson Bennett’s preseason finale?
Bennett forces pass that's intercepted
RT if you've heard this before … @EBassey21 with another INT this preseason!
📺: 9NEWS pic.twitter.com/DaDanuurlQ
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) August 27, 2023
Bennett forces another third down interception
A lot going on here but the @Broncos take over
📺: #LARvsDEN on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/624TrfDUF6 pic.twitter.com/4XSKKnqhlQ— NFL (@NFL) August 27, 2023
Bennett forced a fumble on the interception return, but the Broncos recovered the fumble.
Turnover-worthy plays catching up to Bennett
Stetson Bennett's interception luck caught up to him early. Had at least four dropped INTs this preseason. pic.twitter.com/2NFpYjd7E6
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) August 27, 2023
Rams Wire calls Bennett's performance a dud
Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay is notorious for not playing starters or even key depth pieces in the preseason, so a preseason loss is normal for Los Angeles. However, the 41-0 loss was concerning for the Rams.
Rams Wire considers Bennett’s performance to be dud and we can’t blame them.
It was a disastrous night for the rookie quarterback. Bennett threw two first-half interceptions, both of which were terrible decisions after staring down his targets. The underneath defender jumped in front of each pass and picked it off, which shows Bennett didn’t see them lurking – a concerning trend for the Rams quarterback.
Stetson Bennett has to take better care of the football if he wants to establish a career in the NFL.
Who is quarterback No. 2 in Los Angeles
Los Angeles may be looking for more quarterback depth after what it saw in the preseason. Brett Rypien went an uninspiring 14 of 23 for 92 passing yards with no touchdowns or interceptions throughout the preseason.
Bennett, who Rams Wire still projects to be the back-up quarterback, completed 36 of 62 passes for 347 passing yards. Bennett finished the preseason with two total touchdowns and three interceptions.
(Bennett’s) still penciled in as the No. 2 quarterback but this was a troubling performance by Bennett to close out the preseason.
There will always be Bennett haters
My week 6 predication of Stetson Bennett being a Used Car Salesman may have been a little off
He could be dropped by week 1 pic.twitter.com/oR3Mosvu3O
— Nick Perkins (@NPerkins96) August 27, 2023
Bennett has to take better care of the football
Rookie QBs who had 6 Turnover Worthy Plays in the Preseason over the last 10 years:
Stetson Bennett
Jarrett Stidham
Mike Bercovici
Bryan Bennett
Johnny Manziel— Eric Taylor (@EricTaylorTBR) August 27, 2023
Is Bennett's roster spot in jeopardy?
Stetson Bennett may only make the roster because the team is hanging onto a fourth round pick and isn’t contending. There’s no way he can play against players who will make an NFL roster. I applaud Maurice Jones-Drew for spinning everything as a positive though.
— TurfShowTimes (@TurfShowTimes) August 27, 2023
Some Los Angeles fans are regreting the Bennett pick
Stetson Bennett was seen as a 5th-6th rounder by some draft experts.
He has 4 INTs now in the preseason. Meanwhile, DTR and Aidan O'Connell performing well and were taken after Bennett. Still way too early obviously, but worth mentioning.
— Blaine Grisak 💭 (@bgrisakTST) August 27, 2023
