Welcome to our new message board system. We hope you enjoy the new features, and please post any issues or problems in the Help and Support forum. There are also several tutorial videos posted there to help you get familiar with some of the changes. Registration is required to post.https://ramsrule.com/herd/index.phpSun, 23 Aug 2026 19:44:42 -0400 Phorum 5.2.18 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1250036,1250036#msg-1250036 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1250036,1250036#msg-1250036Stetson Bennett gets moxie back vs. Saints, strengthens case to be Rams’ backup QB


[www.nytimes.com]


By Nate Atkins
Aug. 23, 2026 Updated 12:47 pm PDT


LOS ANGELES — Stetson Bennett rolled to his right on a fourth down, saw a pass rusher in his face and a cornerback draped over the receiver he needed to find, so he tried something he’s seen Matthew Stafford do time and again.

Bennett contorted his arm to toss the ball around the outstretched pass rusher, floating it over the New Orleans Saints cornerback in coverage and with a low enough trajectory to drop right into a spot where Tyler Scott could slide to make a 16-yard catch for a first down.

“At least give us a shot,” Bennett said of his approach. “I got pulled up. The flat guy got ran into, so I was thinking, ‘Just put it in a safe spot so T-Scott can go get it.'”

Saturday’s 34-0 win over the Saints featured Bennett playing loose and confident again, as he had earlier in training camp before something seemed to disappear over the past week and a half.

Perhaps it was the fact that he was playing a full half this week, with reps to build on and find a rhythm. Or perhaps the egg came before the chicken, and that throw — just his eighth of the game — got him feeling like he could play freely.

That’s how Bennett looked from that moment on. He scored two rushing touchdowns from the red zone, one on a designed keeper where he dove and reached the ball to touch the pylon, and a second after he dropped back, saw no one open and raced to a similar spot along the left sideline for the score.

Bennett finished 19-of-31 for 181 yards with no passing touchdowns, no turnovers and a quarterback rating of 77.5. The passing numbers were more safe than prolific, but they could have looked different if not for the open routes he pulled the trigger on that became pass interference calls, or a deep ball to Scott that was just a bit out of reach.

“I don’t think I put the ball in harm’s way today,” Bennett said. “Obviously, you have to keep the ball in play and keep it moving. That’s what drives defenses crazy. But it is fun to hit the big ones.”

This was the statement Bennett needed to make in a race for the backup quarterback role that had felt like it was shifting before this game. Ty Simpson, the No. 13 pick in this year’s draft, had the big performance in last week’s preseason game. Then the Rams began splitting the No. 2 reps in practice, with Bennett losing the efficiency and touch on the deep ball he had previously shown. Both areas looked improved against the Saints.

Simpson, meanwhile, only really got a mop-up duty sort of role based on how the game flowed. The Rams had slotted him in for the second half, but the Saints took the ball first for a long drive before Spencer Rattler threw a 100-yard interception to Rams safety Alex Cook, and suddenly Los Angeles was up 27-0 before Simpson got to throw his first pass with less than eight minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Simpson finished 8-of-12 for 73 yards, no touchdowns, no turnovers and an 83.0 rating. It wasn’t anything flashy, but it was another day he felt comfortable rather than overwhelmed by an NFL playbook.

“You just have more confidence when you understand where to go with the ball and understand the game,” Simpson said. “The game in general goes in flows. The more you have the pen in your hand, the easier the game is. Once I understand the same thing the play caller understands, it’s always easier.”

As of now, it feels like Bennett is back in the lead for the No. 2 role, but we’ll get more clarity on the situation when the Rams decide whether either quarterback will play in Thursday’s preseason finale against the Los Angeles Chargers.


Wesley Bailey makes statement

The Saints were driving toward the end zone on the ground, and Ty Chandler was bouncing in and around the middle of the mush when Bailey dove in and punched the ball out of his grip and into the arms of Payton Zdroik.

Through two preseason games, Bailey has been the Rams’ best player on either side of the ball. Saturday’s performance against the Saints was the latest notch, as he finished with four quarterback hits, one sack, one tackle for loss and the forced fumble.

“I thought his body of work today compared to last week was improvement, and he did some really good things last week,” coach Sean McVay said. “He was able to force the fumble. There’s certain guys you just feel on defense, where you just know they’re making their presence felt. That was how I felt about Wes Bailey all day today.”

The undrafted rookie out of Louisville has looked unblockable at times in the run and pass games with his mix of 6-foot-5 length, a chiseled frame and the speed to dip around the edge of tackles in the pass rush and through the middle of double-teams, and across the bodies of climbing guards in the run game.

It makes you wonder how a prospect like this went undrafted. Bailey didn’t explode in any single season in college, but he had at least four sacks in a season at two different schools: Rutgers and Louisville. He also posted terrific athletic testing this spring, including a 1.53-second 10-yard split, which ranks in the top 1 percent of all defensive ends in the history of the NFL Scouting Combine.

“I’m going to continuously keep working,” Bailey said. “There’s going to be good days, bad days. I’m going to continuously have that relentless effort and keep going.”

The Rams are as loaded as they come on the defensive line, and that could grow even more unfair if Aaron Donald decides to come out of retirement. Los Angeles tends to reserve its backup spots for players who can move inside and outside and provide depth in multiple spots, which isn’t Bailey’s style as a pure edge player.

But the Rams have to know by now that if they cut him, they won’t be getting him back on the practice squad. It could make for a challenging decision between him and Desjuan Johnson for the final defensive line spot.


Quick hits

• This was another busy day for CJ Daniels. The sixth-round rookie out of Miami led the Rams with 13 targets, eight catches and 68 yards. Like he has most of training camp, Daniels did most of his work in the short range on slants and crossers, but he made a nice leaping grab along the sideline for 17 yards and a first down. He also had a route where he broke open vertically into the end zone, but Bennett overthrew him. He’s battling with Xavier Smith for a potential final wide receiver spot, unless the Rams opt to keep six this year in addition to loaded rooms at running back and tight end.

• Cam Lampkin continues to look like a heads-up, physical player in this secondary. He tipped a pass and made several physical stops from the nickel position, forcing the Saints into dump-off mode rather than letting them gain much out of the slot. He’s made some nice plays on the ball in training camp, and if he can find a special teams role, he’ll have a solid chance of earning a spot as the Rams’ fifth cornerback.

• Jarquez Hunter showed many of the rushing skills that had the Rams enamored enough to trade up and draft him in the fourth round last year, just to stash him behind Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. Hunter was decisive in his cuts between the tackles, powerful in his finishes to runs and elusive in his moments in the open field. He finished with 12 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown. But to find any playing time this year, it would have to be an injury to Williams or Corum or a role to emerge for him on special teams, which has not been a big part of his involvement in camp.

• This was an important game for Blake Hance and AJ Arcuri to get some reps on tape in what could be a battle for a back-end offensive line spot if either Justin Dedich (hand) or Keagen Trost (hamstring) aren’t available to start the season. The offensive line had some penalty issues at times, but it paved the way for the run game to average 5.0 yards per carry and three touchdowns, and it held the Saints without a hit on either quarterback.

Nate Atkins is a Senior Writer for The Athletic covering the Los Angeles Rams. Prior to joining The Athletic, he covered the Indianapolis Colts for the Indianapolis Star, the Detroit Lions for MLive Media Group and the Chicago Bears for Pro Football Weekly. A graduate of the University of Missouri, he was recognized as one of the nation's top-10 beat reporters by the Associated Press Sports Editors in 2023 and 2024, including a No. 1 overall finish in 2023. He grew up in Northeast Ohio, just 50 miles away from LeBron James.]]> RamBill RamsFootballFans.comSun, 23 Aug 2026 19:12:26 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?4,1250032,1250032#msg-1250032 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?4,1250032,1250032#msg-1250032
[www.hollywoodreporter.com]

was always a big fan , I even have an autographed picture of her here somewhere


got her start on the Donna Reed Show , did some Elvis Presley movies and guest stared on the TV show Coach

She was also married to Mike Farrell from M*A*S*H


R.I.P Shelley Fabares

]]> IowaRam Bucky's PubSun, 23 Aug 2026 19:16:34 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249988,1249988#msg-1249988 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249988,1249988#msg-1249988*He looked confident and ran the offense efficiently
*He seems to want to layer passes in every time, putting unnecessary loft on some passes that would be better driven on more of a straight line
*Some of his passes also floated. A more competent secondary would have had two picks yesterday in my opinion
* I really disliked his body language and expression on a pass where Klare seemed to run the wing your]]> RantoulRam RamsFootballFans.comSun, 23 Aug 2026 12:54:26 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249986,1249986#msg-1249986 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249986,1249986#msg-1249986
]]> 21Dog RamsFootballFans.comSun, 23 Aug 2026 18:57:39 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249973,1249973#msg-1249973 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249973,1249973#msg-1249973
]]> Ramsdude RamsFootballFans.comSun, 23 Aug 2026 11:13:48 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249971,1249971#msg-1249971 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249971,1249971#msg-1249971
]]> Ramsdude RamsFootballFans.comSun, 23 Aug 2026 11:03:56 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249964,1249964#msg-1249964 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249964,1249964#msg-1249964
This staff is hands down the best this team has had, maybe even equal to or better than the Vermeil teams with all those seasoned HC's on his staff. From the D backfield, to the LB corps, to the D-Line all exceptional coaching happening. Same in the QB room, RB room, TE room O-Line room and WR room. ST's is even making some in roads to being at least not a negative factor.

For once I can honestly think/feel that our PS should be made up off of guys on our 90 man roster, no need to look outside for upside. I also realize other teams will look at that fact and take from them and that WILL make it necessary to look outside our roster to make up the 16 guys.]]> roman18 RamsFootballFans.comSun, 23 Aug 2026 15:39:44 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249951,1249951#msg-1249951 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249951,1249951#msg-1249951
The thing is this: Bennett finally started to play like who he is and therefore he looked better. If Bennett doesn't use his legs and mobility, then he's lost himself. I think McVay WANTS Bennett to be Bennett and not try to be a pure drop back/pocket QB like Stafford.

Simpson is doing fine. But, one training camp for a rookie QB to obtain a enough tools to run the McVay offense is simply not doable.
I don't know about later in the year, but game 1, its Bennett simply because he knows the offense far better.

I'm going to be pretty surprised if Bennett plays at all on Thursday night.

I've been waiting for some dings on OLBs and a couple of other positions (CB/Safety) to give the Rams a legit reason to stash some guys on IR or some designation for them to hang on to 2 or 3 guys they might otherwise have to cut.

Top of the list is Wes Bailey. With the injury to Thomas (not sure how serious it is), the Rams will probably milk this. The young man simply shows up and plays with his hair on fire. He needs a lot more development, for sure. But he has the quicks, the size, the passion, the non-stop motor...

I think the secondary is going to be an interesting bunch of decisions. There are at least 2, maybe 3, secondary guys that I know the Rams don't want to have to cut. Anderson, Hamilton, and maybe Lampkin. I doubt any survive the waiver wire.

What I'm most impressed with is how well coached and disciplined these young bench guys are. Especially the Oline. That's the main reason the Rams are looking so good in the preseason. The Rams simply do not keep or play undisciplined players.]]> RockRam RamsFootballFans.comSun, 23 Aug 2026 19:41:26 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249947,1249947#msg-1249947 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249947,1249947#msg-1249947Decent Offensive game: CJ Daniels, Jacquez Hunter
Offensive pleasant surprises: AJ Acuri
Offensive Duds: Brennan Presley, Max Klare

Defensive standouts: Alex Cook, Wesley Bailey
Decent Defensive game: AZ Hamilton, Cam Lampkin (most snaps)
Defensive Dud: Larrell Murchison


[attachment 15627 Screenshot2026-08-23061611.png]
[attachment 15628 Screenshot2026-08-23061643.png]]]> Shecky RamsFootballFans.comSun, 23 Aug 2026 16:54:42 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249944,1249944#msg-1249944 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249944,1249944#msg-1249944
I know they have an updated roster but at the moment that's just a placeholder...

There's definitely six or eight guys that I would really like to see make the team but I don't know if there's room for them..]]> kw13 RamsFootballFans.comSun, 23 Aug 2026 19:00:28 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?23,1249932,1249932#msg-1249932 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?23,1249932,1249932#msg-1249932 BerendsenRam Rams ChroniclesSun, 23 Aug 2026 15:25:01 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249929,1249929#msg-1249929 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249929,1249929#msg-1249929
1. Dean Connors returned the opening KO. He was OK on the return but to be honest there wasn't much anywhere to run. The Saints coverage had everything pretty much covered. He did stick his nose in there.

2. Hunter had the starting RB spot. To be honest, unlike some on the board, I was not impressed actually. The reason why is because our OL was so much better than the Saints DL. Hunter was never touched until 3 yards down the field to start the play, and then only got another 2 or 3 yards. Compare that to Waters. Also, I just don't think that Hunter has good vision, I thought he made a poor decision on one play and lost the potential to pick up more yards. When Waters came in I thought the difference was night and day. Also, as far RBs go, I think Connors will be on the team, probably PS but still around. I don't think Hunter will.

3. Stetson still doesn't have super good communication with his receivers, they seemed to be on different pages sometimes, just not really in sync. His accuracy is also questionable, Klare dropped a pass behind him on one boot where Bennett just made it difficult by not putting it in the right place even though it was only a 10 yard pass.

4. In the beginning series for the Saints their OL pushed our DL around. I didn't like that at all. One of the DL out there was Keenan Allen, so that was not pleasant to watch.

5. Some people on the board have been critical of Havenstein but he dropped one nugget during the broadcast that I never knew and I thought was really important. He explained that one thing the Rams do with the 2 DL (probably other teams too) is that they will watch which way the Center turns (to the right or to the left) and the DT away from his turn will move behind the Center and the DT towards where the center turns will stunt around. This allows the stunting DT a clearer path to the QB. I never knew this or heard of this before, but it makes a lot of sense. This makes it very easy for the DT to move the center away. This was explained by Havs during the play when Wesley got his sack.

That's all I got for now.]]> Singapore Ram RamsFootballFans.comSun, 23 Aug 2026 16:03:58 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249925,1249925#msg-1249925 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249925,1249925#msg-1249925


]]> RamBill RamsFootballFans.comSat, 22 Aug 2026 21:13:59 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249910,1249910#msg-1249910 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249910,1249910#msg-1249910 Speed_Kills RamsFootballFans.comSun, 23 Aug 2026 16:45:45 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?23,1249905,1249905#msg-1249905 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?23,1249905,1249905#msg-1249905www.therams.com]]]> BerendsenRam Rams ChroniclesSun, 23 Aug 2026 01:22:33 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249889,1249889#msg-1249889 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249889,1249889#msg-1249889
]]> RamBill RamsFootballFans.comSun, 23 Aug 2026 17:04:17 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249882,1249882#msg-1249882 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249882,1249882#msg-1249882 Ridgewood Ram RamsFootballFans.comSun, 23 Aug 2026 14:09:19 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249879,1249879#msg-1249879 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249879,1249879#msg-1249879 sstrams RamsFootballFans.comSat, 22 Aug 2026 20:57:00 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?6,1249869,1249869#msg-1249869 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?6,1249869,1249869#msg-1249869 sstrams Game Time ForumSat, 22 Aug 2026 18:48:17 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?6,1249868,1249868#msg-1249868 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?6,1249868,1249868#msg-1249868 NewMexicoRam Game Time ForumSat, 22 Aug 2026 18:48:05 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249866,1249866#msg-1249866 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249866,1249866#msg-1249866 Ridgewood Ram RamsFootballFans.comSun, 23 Aug 2026 00:17:52 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?6,1249850,1249850#msg-1249850 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?6,1249850,1249850#msg-1249850 NewMexicoRam Game Time ForumSat, 22 Aug 2026 18:09:37 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?6,1249846,1249846#msg-1249846 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?6,1249846,1249846#msg-1249846 NewMexicoRam Game Time ForumSat, 22 Aug 2026 18:51:24 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?6,1249840,1249840#msg-1249840 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?6,1249840,1249840#msg-1249840 sstrams Game Time ForumSat, 22 Aug 2026 18:00:46 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?6,1249839,1249839#msg-1249839 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?6,1249839,1249839#msg-1249839 Hawaii Rams Fan Game Time ForumSat, 22 Aug 2026 19:37:26 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?6,1249823,1249823#msg-1249823 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?6,1249823,1249823#msg-1249823 sstrams Game Time ForumSat, 22 Aug 2026 17:32:57 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?6,1249818,1249818#msg-1249818 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?6,1249818,1249818#msg-1249818 sstrams Game Time ForumSat, 22 Aug 2026 17:26:29 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?6,1249815,1249815#msg-1249815 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?6,1249815,1249815#msg-1249815 NewMexicoRam Game Time ForumSat, 22 Aug 2026 17:16:33 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?6,1249813,1249813#msg-1249813 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?6,1249813,1249813#msg-1249813 Ridgewood Ram Game Time ForumSat, 22 Aug 2026 17:17:01 -0400 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249810,1249810#msg-1249810 https://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,1249810,1249810#msg-1249810
Looks like our defensive depth has gotten better. I really like Lampkin too! :beercan]]> Ramsdude RamsFootballFans.comSat, 22 Aug 2026 18:13:10 -0400