Story by
Athens Banner-Herald
Former Georgia QB Stetson Bennett makes NFL regular-season debut Down Under
- Story byAthens Banner-Herald
- Former Georgia QB Stetson Bennett makes NFL regular-season debut Down Under
Former Georgia football quarterback Stetson Bennett made his long-awaited debut in an NFL regular season game.
It came all the way in Melbourne, Australia, for the Los Angeles Rams in the their season opener during the final minutes of a 27-7 loss to San Francisco on Thursday, Sept. 10 (Friday in Australia).
Advertisement
Bennett completed 2 of 3 passes for 13 yards and scrambled for 9 yards on his only carry.
The starting quarterback for Georgia 's back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022 is the Rams' No. 2 quarterback behind another former Bulldog QB, 2025 NFL MVP Matthew Stafford .
The Rams had their fewest points with Stafford as starter since the 2009 NFL No. 1 overall pick joined the team in 2021, according to the NFL Network.
"Obviously, not the way you want to start the season, but a lot of football left and opportunities with the right kind of people and right coaches and everybody to go out there and fix it and move forward," Stafford said postgame, according to video on the Rams' website.
Bennett, a fourth-round pick in 2023, came in for Stafford with 3:29 to go after Stafford went 15-for-25 for 155 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.
Advertisement
Bennett threw high on his first pass that was incomplete, then connected over the middle to receiver Jordan Whittington and completed a short pass to running back Ronnie Rivers .
Quarterback Ty Simpson , the first-round draft pick from Alabama, was inactive for the game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground before a crowd of 100,021.
Rams coach Sean McVay had referred to Bennett and Simpson as "the 2A 2B," behind Stafford, according to NBC Sports' website.
Bennett completed 23 of 37 passes for 219 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in the preseason, when he also had 2 rushing touchdowns. Simpson went 47-for-60 for 382 yards with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions.
Advertisement
The Rams chose to not arrive in Australia until 28 hours before the game's kickoff, according to The Athletic, while the 49ers spent close to a week there.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Former Georgia QB Stetson Bennett makes NFL regular-season debut Down Under
