Stetson

Bennett

The Rams enter the day with a 9-2 record and are operating at nearly full strength against the Panthers. Whether by land or by air, the Rams should have no trouble moving the ball against a Panthers defense that ranks 18th in yards allowed but will be without its top corner in Jaycee Horn.

Ferguson is inactive with the Rams getting Parkinson back from a shoulder injury. Braden Fiske is also active after being considered questionable with an oblique issue.

The Rams have all of their key players active and ready to go for Sunday’s tilt with the Eagles. In a game that’s expected to feature near-freezing conditions and snow, we’ll see how the Rams’ offense fares away from the cozy confines of SoFi Stadium.

Robinson missed the first two practices of the week and got in a limited session Wednesday. The 30-year-old is a risky FLEX play for Thursday night’s contest against San Francisco where the reward doesn’t outweigh said risk. The Rams inactives for Week 15 are QB Stetson Bennett, CB Cobie Durant, RB Cody Schrader, OLB Brennan Jackson, OL Dylan McMahon, and OL Warren McClendon Jr.

At this point, it’s fair to wonder if 2023 fourth-rounder Bennett will ever appear in an NFL game.

Kupp’s absence was expected, given his projected multi-week recovery timeline. The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue notes “Jimmy [Garoppolo] back in the backup spot at QB after his two-game suspension.” The Rams are exceptionally short-staffed with Puka Nacua also on injured reserve. They will likely try to eke out a win through a run-heavy offensive attack.

Just as he did last week, Bennett played the entirety of this preseason matchup for the Rams and pulled out another win in the fourth quarter. He threw just one pick in this one, with his highlight reel play coming on a 47-yard touchdown pass to J.J. Laap to give the Rams the lead and, eventually, the win over the Bolts. Bennett is a virtual lock to open the season with the Rams’ 53-man roster, with Jimmy Garoppolo set to serve a two-game suspension to start the year.

Stafford is experiencing tightness in his hamstring and will miss a few days of practice as a result. We wouldn’t read much into this beyond opting to exercise caution for their franchise quarterback with the season rapidly approaching. It should go without saying that Stafford won’t play in the Rams’ preseason matchup on Saturday against the Rams, which could pave the way for another long outing for Stetson Bennett.

Bennett made the start for the Rams on Sunday and played out the entire contest. The second-year quarterback had more downs than ups, as evidenced by his four-interception day, but gathered himself and the offense to orchestrate a game-winning drive in the final seconds. Bennett capped the drive with a six-yard touchdown pass to tight end Miller Forristall for the game-tying score, while kicker Joshua Karty converted the PAT to secure the win. After missing all of his rookie campaign, Bennett is now competing to stick around on the Rams’ 53-man roster as the third quarterback after Jimmy Garoppolo returns from his two-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy.

Bennett, who was drafted in the fourth round of last year’s draft, missed all of the regular season while on the non-football illness list. Rams GM Les Snead said he believes Bennett’s time away was “very beneficial” while adding that Bennett was “exhausted” after leading Georgia to back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022. Bennett is expected to compete with Jimmy Garoppolo for the backup job behind Matthew Stafford this offseason.