Stetson Bennett said he wanted to build on the positives and eliminate the miscues that plagued him during last Sunday’s 13-12 Rams’ victory over the Dallas Cowboys, including four interceptions.
On Saturday, he completed 17 of 31 passes for 213 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown, with an interception and a fumble.
Bennett benefited from playing the entire game against the Cowboys — and tossing a game-tying touchdown with four seconds left — and from taking second-team reps during a joint practice with the Cowboys on Wednesday.
Facing a Chargers defense without star edge rushers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack and safety Derwin James, but one that included several starters early in the game, Bennett avoided most decision-making errors, but he could not avoid a costly interception.
After the Rams recovered a fumble in the third quarter, Bennett drove the offense to the one-yard line. But defensive back Deane Leonard intercepted a pass in the end zone.
Bennett, however, bounced back in the fourth quarter, finding JJ Laap behind coverage to give the Rams a 13-9 lead.
The Chargers’ Easton Stick played the first half and looked better than he did in the preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks, when he completed only five of 13 passes for 31 yards, with an interception on a pass that tipped off a receiver’s hands.
On Saturday, Stick remained inefficient — he completed eight of 13 passes for 85 yards — but he did not make a major passing error. He connected on a couple of key plays and also rushed for 22 yards in five carries, including a 12-yard gain on a designed run.
Stick, however, fumbled a snap at the Rams’ one-yard line, stifling the Chargers’ best chance at a touchdown.
Luis Perez played the second half. He completed 13 of 20 passes for 78 yards and engineered a field-goal drive, but he lost a fumble.