Thankfully for the Los Angeles Rams, preseason games don’t count toward their record because this summer, they’re 0-2 and have been outscored 68-34.
They fell to the Raiders, 34-17, on Saturday night, their second straight loss by that score this preseason. For a young team, struggles in the preseason were to be expected, but it’s hard to tell if they’re where McVay expects them to be at this point in the offseason.
Here’s what we learned from the 17-point loss at SoFi Stadium, breaking down six takeaways from the game – including an update on Stetson Bennett and the backup quarterback situation.
1
Stetson Bennett is either locked in as QB2 or falling behind Brett Rypien
Bennett got the start in this one and played the first three quarters of the game before being pulled for Rypien. But even when Rypien came in, he was mostly handing the ball off, only attempting four throws – all of which he completed.
The Rams are clearly trying to get a longer look at Bennett than they are Rypien, which could mean one of two things: Bennett is entrenched as Matthew Stafford’s backup and is just getting as many reps as he can, or Rypien is ahead of him so the Rams are simply trying to give Bennett some experience.
2
Davis Allen has some real potential at TE
Allen made his preseason debut after just returning to practice this past week and he wasted no time getting going. He caught a game-high eight catches for 53 yards, hauling in all eight of his targets from Bennett and Rypien. They weren’t all easy receptions, either. His first was a 15-yarder, which he had to climb the ladder to catch in traffic on a high throw from Bennett.
His catch radius gives him some serious potential at tight end behind Tyler Higbee and Brycen Hopkins.
3
Pass rush is invisible again
The Rams only landed three hits on the quarterback and finished with one sack as a team, which was more of a coverage sack than a win by Keir Thomas on the edge. The pass rush simply wasn’t impactful at all on defense, especially early in the game.
This has been the Rams’ biggest concern all offseason long and it’s hard to feel confident in their current group as Week 1 rapidly approaches.
4
Up-and-down game from young corners
It was a mixed bag from the Rams’ younger corners. Tre Tomlinson played well again and has looked like one of their best players this preseason, but fellow rookie Timarcus Davis was picked on often. He gave up at least 80 yards in coverage, along with a touchdown and a pass interference penalty called against him.
Jordan Jones gave up a touchdown in the fourth quarter but Cameron McCutcheon made a couple of nice plays on the back end, too. There was just a mixture of good and bad from the young defensive backs in the secondary.
5
Jake Hummel and Ronnie Rivers are making the team
There’s little doubt that both of these players should make the 53-man roster and it’s hard to imagine that they won’t make it come September. Hummel was a stud all night, making five tackles and picking off a pass that he returned 21 yards for a touchdown.
Rivers got the start at running back and had 42 yards on nine carries, with his longest being an 8-yard scamper. He runs with good power but is also elusive in the hole, making him a good candidate to be the third running back on the depth chart.
6
Puka Nacua has done enough to earn veteran treatment
Nacua didn’t play in this one like he did a week ago, a sign that the Rams don’t want to risk him getting hurt because they have high hopes for him as a rookie. It’s rare for a fifth-round rookie to get the veteran treatment, even on McVay’s team, but it appears Nacua has done enough to carve out a role on offense. Byron Young also sat this one out but McVay said afterwards that he was “a little sore” after getting in a lot of good work during the week, so he could be in a similar position as Nacua.
