In the Los Angeles Rams preseason opener, rookie quarterback Ty Simpson played very well and could still be in contention to become the backup quarterback.
The Los Angeles Rams played their preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium, which resulted in the Rams picking up the win by a score of 20-12.
In this preseason opener for the Rams, rookie quarterback Ty Simpson shined. For the game, Simpson completed 21 of his 25 attempts for 190 yards and two touchdowns.
Simpson's first reps came on the Rams third drive of the day after fellow quarterback Stetson Bennett IV took the first two drives and led the offense to a field goal.
On Simpson's first drive, he looked pretty comfortable and made the right decisions, but it resulted in a three-and-out. However, Simpson's second drive was even better, as he led the Rams on a seven-play drive that went for a total of 42 yards and got the Rams another field goal, which tied the game at six.
After that, Simpson commanded the offense quite well in a two-minute drill that showed his ability to process the defense well and get the ball where he needed it. The Rams did not get any points out of it, but it was a very good sign for Simpson.
In the second half, Simpson and the Rams' offense started off a bit slow as they had to punt on back-to-back possessions, but Simpson did show great decision-making and took great care of the ball.
Following a great punt return from Xavier Smith, Simpson and the offense were set up deep in Chiefs' territory. With the great field position, Simpson capitalized as he threw a screen pass to running back Dean Connors for a nine-yard touchdown, which was Simpson's first touchdown in the NFL.
The very next possession, Simpson continued to show poise as he led the Rams on yet another strong drive. On this drive, Simpson and the offense went 87 yards, and to close the drive, Simpson tossed his second touchdown of the day to Connors, who also scored his second touchdown of the game.
In terms of the top targets for Simpson, he was consistently on the same page with fellow rookie Max Klare as the duo connected seven times for a total of 37 yards.
Simpson did a solid job spreading the ball out to other receivers, as he was able to complete passes to CJ Daniels, Mark Redman, Xavier Smith, Brennan Presley, Tyler Scott, and, as previously mentioned, Dean Connors in the end zone for two touchdowns.
Looking at Simpson's performance in his first NFL action, he played very well and did a great job of making the right decisions consistently as he never really put the ball in harms way.
With this performance, Simpson may have given head coach Sean McVay more to think about when it comes to the backup quarterback job. Bennett did only play two drives, but Simpson consistently made great reads and, more often than not, put the offense in great positions.
So, heading into the second week of the preseason, it will be very interesting to see where the backup quarterback battle stands and if Bennett and Simpson both get significant snaps next week against the Saints to give McVay another opportunity to evaluate and potentially make a change to the depth chart.
