For many of the players on the field for the Rams Saturday night, it was their first time suiting up in an NFL game – even a preseason contest. There’s a lot this young team has to learn before the regular season begins, which is why these three preseason games will be so valuable.
The Chargers cruised to a 34-17 win, but there were some good things to take away from the game for the Rams. A handful of players stood out in a positive way, including Stetson Bennett and Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, but the run defense, special teams unit and Logan Bruss left plenty of room for improvement.
Here are our studs and duds from the preseason opener.
Stud: QB Stetson Bennett
Bennett was one of the biggest bright spots in this one, seemingly pushing further ahead in the backup quarterback competition after outplaying Brett Rypien. He threw for 191 yards and a touchdown in about three quarters of play, looking surprisingly comfortable in the pocket in his preseason debut. He got away with a few mistakes that could’ve led to turnovers, but it was overall a good performance by the rookie out of Georgia.
Stud: CB Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson
Sean McVay talked about how competitive and aggressive Hodges-Tomlinson is as a defender and that showed on Saturday night. He made a couple of good tackles in the first half and also broke up a pass on third down to stall the Chargers’ first drive. He provided tight coverage against Quentin Johnston on a deep shot down the right side, too, forcing an incompletion.
Dud: RT Logan Bruss
McVay said he likes Bruss better at right tackle, given his experience playing there in college, but he didn’t look overly comfortable against the Chargers. He gave up an early sack where he got beat easily to the inside, then in the second quarter, he allowed quick pressure on Rypien that resulted in a high throw and incompletion on third down. After struggling last preseason, this wasn’t the start Bruss and the Rams were hoping for in Year 2.
Stud: CB Jordan Jones
You never really want your cornerbacks to rack up the tackles because that can sometimes mean they’re getting beat in coverage, but Jones was just always around the ball. He made a team-high five tackles and was often near the receiver quickly after he made the catch to come up with a stop. He made an impact early when he came up with a good tackle on a screen pass during the Chargers’ first drive.
Dud: Special teams
It was a night to forget for the Rams’ special teams unit. They had a delay of game penalty, a badly missed 46-yard field goal by Tanner Brown and allowed an 80-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first half.
Brown bounced back with a 39-yard field goal and Ethan Evans showed his powerful leg, but the mistakes need to be cleaned up. While struggles are almost to be expected with a new coordinator and a rookie operation, the Rams have room for improvement.
Stud: WR Puka Nacua
Nacua came into this game with a lot of hype and so far, he’s living up to it. He caught the Rams’ first touchdown pass of the preseason, an 11-yard reception from Bennett. It was a contested grab along the goal line, but he held on and broke the plane for six points, which was his third reception of the game at that point. It’s looking like Nacua could be a legitimate contributor for the Rams this season.
Stetson Bennett fires it in for a TD on his first drive! @StetsonIV
📺: #LACvsLAR on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/bBFpXewtKp pic.twitter.com/QTM0twMeql— NFL (@NFL) August 13, 2023
Dud: Entire defensive line
There wasn’t a single standout player on the defensive line in this one, which is concerning. Without Aaron Donald, the Rams are seriously lacking talent up front and it showed against the Chargers. The running lanes were far too big and when the Chargers ran up the middle, the Rams’ lack of size at nose tackle showed up. This unit could be a big problem if Marquise Copeland, Jonah Williams, Kobie Turner and Bobby Brown III don’t take things up a notch next to Donald.
In total, the Chargers rushed for 214 yards and consistently gashed the Rams on the ground.
Stud: S Tanner Ingle
Ingle made a pair of plays in the backfield in the second half, including a sack on Max Duggan to close out the third quarter. He came off a blitz on the right side and had a free run at the quarterback, which he didn’t let slip. It was his second tackle for a loss in as many drives, the first coming in run support on a play up the middle. He stood out in camp and already made a strong impression in the preseason.
Stud: OLB Keir Thomas
With the pass rush struggling badly in the first half, Thomas provided some help in the third quarter. He had 1.5 sacks in the third quarter alone, making two good plays in the backfield to set the Chargers offense back. He had a solo sack first and then combined with Daniel Hardy for another, showing good burst off the edge to get to the quarterback.
Stud: LG Zach Thomas
Thomas is in his second year in the NFL and he’s battling to make the Rams’ roster. He played a good portion of the game at left guard and performed at a high level, consistently clearing out defenders in the running game – something Andrew Whitworth in the booth noted pretty often. Steve Avila has a strong grip on the starting job, it seems, but Thomas is fighting to make the 53-man roster as a backup.
Stud: WR Tyler Johnson
Johnson had a good connection with Bennett in the second half, catching five passes for 70 yards in Los Angeles’ loss to the Chargers. He looked fast with the ball in his hands, too, showing good burst in the open field to create yardage after the catch – specifically on a slant from Bennett that picked up 34 yards.
