Stetson Bennett's football journey took an unexpected turn in 2023, leading him into a period in which he didn't play in an actual game for nearly a full year.
That streak ended with Sunday's preseason opener played by Bennett's Rams and the Dallas Cowboys.
Predictably, Bennett showed signs of rust, throwing four interceptions. But he also demonstrated the winner's mentality that propelled him to national titles at Georgia, finding a way to lead the Rams on a 13-play, 70-yard drive which culminated in a game-winning touchdown pass to Miller Forristall with 0:04 left in regulation.
If anything defines Bennett's football life -- including joining Georgia as a walk-on, leaving and returning as a scholarship athlete, and then taking off the majority of his rookie year in the NFL to address his mental health -- it's an experience like this.
“That was probably the weirdest game that I’ve been a part of,” Bennett said afterward, via The Associated Press. “But I told myself today we’re gonna roll with the punches. My goal was to not make any mental errors. It was basically to run the offense correctly.
“There were some lapses, obviously, but in the end it was get the ball in the end zone or you lose, and I think everybody fought to do it.”
Fight, they did, including Bennett whipping a side-armed throw against his momentum to Forristall for the deciding score, which came only after Bennett shook off the four turnovers. If nothing more, consider it a sign of growth, because while it's never good to throw four picks in a game, it's easier to accept if the passer responsible for said turnovers proves to be persistent enough to find a way to win.
“Obviously, want to be able to minimize the turnovers, but didn’t really surprise me,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said. “We were talking on the headset as coaches. It’s like, you know what? He’s the type of guy that’s probably gonna go lead us on a game-winning touchdown drive, and Stetson did a great job.”
Fortunately for Bennett, he was the only Rams quarterback to play Sunday, giving him four quarters to work out the kinks. He established a connection with promising receiver Jordan Whittington, who generated his own buzz with a six-catch, 74-yard outing. And with his nearly perfect game-winning drive, Bennett cleared a key checkpoint after spending significant time away from the game.
Though these games don't count, consider that a win for the quarterback.