Stetson Bennett is officially back on an NFL football field after missing the entirety of his rookie season due to personal reasons that fell under the umbrella of mental health.
There was some clear rust to knock off as Bennett made some poor decisions, throwing 4 interceptions. But there were some things working against him, in addition to coming off a long break.
This included the obvious — playing alongside players who also aren’t starters, and the wide receiving corps particularly seemed to falter.
Bennett had his positive moments, showing off his improvisation ability, ability to make things happen out of structure and went through his progressions well. But there was one thing that seemed to really kill him more than anything else — missing underneath defenders.
If you go back and watch the game tape, you’ll notice all of the interceptions he threw looked pretty similar to one another, reflecting the same issue.
Along with these poor decisions, one of the biggest things to consider when it comes to quarterback play is the mental aspect of it. Bennett is already behind in some ways because of the missed time after playing (and succeeding) at the highest level of college football.
In game, playing the next play is incredibly important, and it was clear in some moments that Bennett was frustrated and down on himself. That plays into processing ability in a negative fashion.
But he overcame it in pure Stetson Bennett fashion, the way that only he can as a player who has so consistently defied the odds.
The Los Angeles Rams signal-caller put together a 13-play, 70-yard drive to win the game, tossing a touchdown pass to tight end Miller Forristall with just 4 seconds left on the clock. That sent the team up to a final score of 13-12 over the Dallas Cowboys.
STETSON! FOR THE LEAD! BANG!!!!
📺: @ABC7 + @NFLNetwork | 📲: https://t.co/4beUdm4vkg pic.twitter.com/tu6YONpRyV
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 11, 2024
“That was probably the weirdest game that I’ve been a part of,” Bennett said after the game. “But I told myself today we’re gonna roll with the punches. My goal was to not make any mental errors. It was basically to run the offense correctly.
“There were some lapses, obviously, but in the end it was get the ball in the end zone or you lose, and I think everybody fought to do it.”
He finished the game with a decent stat line outside of the costly picks, completing 24 of his 38 passing attempts with the 1 touchdown and 4 interceptions.
So, have we now seen who Stetson Bennett will truly be for the Rams?
That much remains to be seen. But Bennett needs more time before any real, legitimate judgements are made.
A lot of it.