Stetson Bennett looks sharp, Saints' backup QBs don't separate in Rams' 34-0 preseason win

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Stetson Bennett passed for 181 yards and rushed for two TDs while leading the Rams to a 20-point halftime lead Saturday, and Los Angeles cruised to a 34-0 preseason victory over the New Orleans Saints.

Bennett went 19 of 31 while playing the entire first half for the Rams (2-0) before rookie Ty Simpson finished up.

Bennett is the Rams' presumptive backup to NFL MVP Matthew Stafford this season despite never playing in a regular-season game, but the former University of Georgia star turned in another in his history of strong preseason performances during his four seasons on the LA roster. He dived to the pylon for the Rams’ first touchdown against New Orleans, and he scored again on a scramble in the second quarter while leading four substantial scoring drives.

The Saints (0-2) stirred up their own quarterback competition with Zach Wilson and Spencer Rattler playing one half apiece at SoFi Stadium, but neither prospective backup to Tyler Shough stood out during a rough overall outing for New Orleans.

Rattler moved the offense better than Wilson while facing the bottom of the Rams' defensive depth chart in the second half, but the Saints also made two goal-line turnovers, with Rattler throwing an interception that was returned for a 100-yard touchdown by safety Alex Cook.

The Saints even attempted a 39-yard field goal in the final minute to avoid the shutout, but Tanner Brown missed it.

The Saints didn’t play their presumptive starters for the second straight preseason game after spending the past week training on the West Coast, while the Rams continued Sean McVay's decade-long tradition of resting every key player possible for the entire preseason.

Simpson finally got on the field midway through the third quarter, and the 13th overall pick in the draft again ran the offense capably, although he didn’t get as much of a chance to perform as he did while looking sharp last week in Kansas City.

Rattler, who started 14 games over the past two seasons with the Saints, got better drives out of New Orleans' offense than Wilson, the 2021 No. 2 overall pick who is on his fourth team in six NFL seasons.

Wilson went 6 of 12 for 55 yards, and he threw an interception to AZ Hamilton in the second quarter.

Rattler led a long drive after halftime, but his goal-line throw to Treyton Welch was intercepted and taken all the way back by Cook.

Rattler led the Saints deep into Rams territory again, but impressive undrafted Rams rookie linebacker Wesley Bailey forced a fumble by Ty Chandler.

The Saints finish their preseason Friday with a visit to the Cowboys less than two weeks after their brawl-filled joint practice that led to $500,000 fines for each team. The Rams stay at SoFi as the road team against the Chargers on Thursday.

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