Stetson Bennett describes four-interception preseason game as 'weirdest game that I've been a part of'

For the final three minutes of the Cowboys-Rams preseason opener, Stetson Bennett was brilliant. His instincts that made him such a winner at Georgia, kicked in for the winning drive.

Who cares if Bennett, the starter for the Rams at quarterback, threw four interceptions before that one final drive at SoFi Stadium. He was nearly perfect when it counted most, leading the Rams to a 13-12 win over the Cowboys. The final dagger was Bennett’s six-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to Miller Forristall with four seconds to go.

The game ended on an incredible high, as opposed to at least four lows, and a fifth wiped away by penalty. earlier in the contest.

“That was probably the weirdest game that I’ve been a part of,” Bennett told reporters after the game. “But I told myself (Sunday) we’re gonna roll with the punches. My goal was to not make any mental errors. It was basically to run the offense correctly.”

Bennett added: “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.”

Rams coach Sean McVay allowed Bennett to play the entire game. He needed the reps. After LA selected him in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Bennett needed to take off most of the regular season to deal with mental health issues. He rejoined the team for OTAs this past spring. His one assignment is to win the second-team role to be Matthew Stafford’s backup. Stafford is the 36-year-old former Georgia Bulldog.

There were those interceptions. But Bennett also completed 24 of his 38 passes for 224 yards. Then there was that touchdown. Although he’s been away from Georgia since the 2022 season, the Bulldogs social media team shared the clip from Bennett’s final TD. It was a classic. Bennett dropped back in the pocket and couldn’t find anyone open. He spun to avoid a Cowboys defender, then rolled to his left. He somehow kept his feet and threw across his body to find Forristall in the end zone.

The caption? “Stet called game!”

Stet called game!

📺: #DALvsLAR on @NFLNetwork#GoDawgs | #DawgsInTheNFL pic.twitter.com/J9k6FnaBm3

— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) August 11, 2024

Now, how will McVay grade the game?

“Obviously, want to be able to minimize the turnovers, but didn’t really surprise me,” said the Rams coach “We were talking on the headset as coaches. It’s like, you know what? He’s the type of guy that’s probably gonna go lead us on a game-winning touchdown drive, and Stetson did a great job.”

On the final, 13-play drive, Bennett connected on eight of his nine passes for 61 yards. Foristall, the former Alabama tight end, caught three passes against the Cowboys, all of them coming on the final drive.

And if anyone doubted Bennett’s resiliency, he very nearly had a fifth interception just before the 2:00 warning. But the Rams turnover was negated by a Cowboys holding call.

The Rams stay home this weekend, taking on the Chargers. Both teams share SoFi Stadium. Maybe Bennett can create more mirables.