Chargers top Rams 34-17 in first game of preseason; Duggan, Bennett get first NFL action
Stetson Bennett passed for 191 yards and a touchdown for the Los Angeles Rams in the stadium where he led Georgia to his second national championship seven months ago, getting his first NFL action in a 34-17 preseason loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday night.
Former TCU quarterback Max Duggan passed for 19 yards and rushed for 20 yards for the Chargers as both quarterbacks got their first NFL action at SoFi Stadium, where Bennett's Bulldogs routed Duggan's Horned Frogs 65-7 in the College Football Playoff title game.
Both quarterbacks are vying for backup jobs with Los Angeles' two NFL teams, but Bennett's debut was much busier.
Bennett entered the game early in the second quarter and immediately led a 16-play, 75-yard drive that included three near-interceptions and a sharp 11-yard touchdown pass to fellow rookie Puka Nacua.
Bennett led two more scoring drives after halftime, finishing 17 for 29 with no interceptions.
While Duggan threw only three passes and mostly handed off, a couple of his former-and-current teammates made big plays for the Chargers.
Former TCU star Derius Davis returned a second-quarter punt 81 yards for a touchdown. Quentin Johnston, the Bolts' first-round pick out of TCU, caught an 8-yard TD pass right before halftime.
Elijah Dotson, an undrafted rookie from Northern Colorado, had 37- and 40-yard TD runs in the fourth quarter for the Chargers.
Bennett took over after new veteran backup Brett Rypien ran the Rams' first three offensive series and completed only three passes. Bennett's first three throws were shaky — two near-interceptions dropped by Chargers defenders and an incompletion erased by a penalty — before he found Nacua for a 17-yard slant.
Bennett's pass was nearly picked again at the goal line, but after the drive was extended by a Chargers penalty, he expertly hit Nacua in traffic for his first score.
Bennett then led a 74-yard TD drive in the third quarter, making three straight impressive completions before veteran running back Royce Freeman carried it in.
Easton Stick, who took two snaps in his first four seasons as the Chargers' third-string quarterback, passed for 109 yards in the first half. The Bolts scored just one offensive touchdown in the first three quarters of new coordinator Kellen Moore's first game at the controls of the offense, but nearly every key starter didn't play.
MORE CFP VETS
Ex-TCU guard Steve Avila started for the Rams, who picked him in the second round. Ex-Georgia lineman Warren McClendon played in the second half for the Rams, who chose him in the fifth round.
NEW PHILOSOPHY
Rams coach Sean McVay's primary objective for his first six NFL preseasons as a head coach was keeping as many players as possible out of uniform, but he is bending his philosophy this month in recognition of the Rams' profound inexperience at many positions. Far more potential starters than usual suited up for this game, including potential key contributors on every level of a defense that lost six of its top seven tacklers and eight of the 10 players who started at least 10 games.
FAST FROG
Davis, a fourth-round pick out of TCU, flashed the speed and playmaking ability that tantalized the Chargers when he broke down the Rams' sideline with his punt return in the second quarter.
During his TCU career, Davis returned five punts and one kickoff for touchdowns, including two last season. His average of 15.0 yards per punt return in his collegiate career was third nationally among players with at least 40 returns.
UP NEXT
Chargers: Host Saints on Sunday, Aug. 20.
Rams: Host Raiders on Saturday, Aug. 19.
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After six month long months, the NFL season is finally upon us!
Though teams have been practicing for weeks now — prepping for the official start of the season on Sept. 7 — preseason games are the unofficial marker of football's return, starting with a slew of games on Saturday, including a shared-stadium-showdown between the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium Inglewood.
While both teams share the stadium, the Rams will play host in Saturday's matchup, which starts at 6 p.m.
The Bolts capped off an impressive 10-7 season with a disappointing exit in the Wild Card Round, allowing the Jacksonville Jaguars to complete the third-largest comeback in NFL postseason history when they stormed back from a 27 point deficit to earn the 31-30 win.
Saturday marks the beginning of what Head Coach Brandon Staley hopes will be a complete turnaround, as the team once again turns to young star quarterback Justin Herbert to lead them to the always elusive Super Bowl.
Outside of extending Herbert through the 2029 season on a record-breaking deal worth $262.5 million, the Chargers made a series of offseason moves to bolster their roster, most notably signing standout linebacker Eric Kendricks in free agency and drafting TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnson in the first round of the NFL Draft.
While it remains to be seen exactly what squad Staley sends out for the team's first on-field action of the preseason, the matchup is bound to excite the thousands of fans flooding SoFi.
For those who can't make it, you can watch the game here on KCAL News! Just make sure to come back to this page at 6 p.m. for full coverage of the game.
