Rams takeaways from preseason opener: Ty Simpson looks legit, OL goes down
KANSAS CITY – With arguably the deepest and most talented roster in the NFL, it’s no surprise the Rams enter the season as the prohibitive Super Bowl favorites.There is, however, one question no one around the Rams wants to ask, much less contemplate:What happens if Matthew Stafford goes down?That uncomfortable scenario, and the Rams’ ability to survive it, provided an unavoidable subplot to Saturday’s 20-12 preseason win to the Chiefs.With Stafford safely tucked away in Sean McVay’s customary preseason bubble wrap, the Rams got an extended look at the two quarterbacks who would be asked to keep their Super Bowl hopes afloat if disaster strikes: fourth-year prospect Stetson Bennett and rookie Ty Simpson.First, relax.Stafford is fine.For obvious reasons, the reigning NFL MVP is strictly off-limits during the preseason.Bennett started Saturday and guided the Rams to a field goal during his two-series stint.
Simpson took over with one play remaining in the first quarter and played all the way into the fourth quarter.Neither offered indisputable evidence that the Rams could simply hand over the keys and keep humming if Stafford were lost for an extended period.Then again, expecting either to do that would be wildly unfair.Bennett, now in his fourth NFL season, has yet to suit up for a regular-season game, let alone throw a pass in one.He finished 4 of 6 for 38 yards.Simpson? He’s three weeks into his first NFL training camp, and Saturday represented his first taste of NFL game action.
No one should expect him to seamlessly step in for Stafford as a rookie.But for one afternoon, anyway, Simpson provided a tantalizing glimpse of why the Rams believe he can be their quarterback of the future.Simpson was clearly more impressive of the two, but also the beneficiary of more playing time with the Chiefs digging much deeper into their depth chart during his stint.Nevertheless, he looked solid while throwing for 190 yards on 21 of 25 passes and got better as the g...