5 huge talking points from Rams' preseason victory over the Cowboys

If you have the chance to watch or listen to any football discussions that feature LA Rams Head Coach Sean McVay, stop what you are doing and listen in, because you are bound to learn a thing or two or three from the guy. He says more relevant information about the Rams and football in general in one minute than you will hear in 30 minutes of discussion about the Rams between NFL analysts, pundits, or talking heads.

So in honor of Coach McVay, and his abundant gift of football gab, let's try to hone in on a few post-game talking points that the Duke of Deliberation and Discourse would pose if you had the opportunity to speak with him, one-on-one, after the team's preseason win against the Dallas Cowboys.

For starters, let's view the game through the lens of a Rams coach. Yes, there were plenty of mistakes made in the game. But from a coach's view, almost all are correctable, coachable, fixable. We can fret and protest the four interceptions, but in a preseason game that is designed to be an experimental lab of trying to make plays, and then correcting mistakes after the fact through video study and reinforcing better decision-making, even the gaffes in the game were in line with what Coach McVay wanted to see from his players.

McVay was having fun in this one. Just check out his commentary about rookie defensive tackle Tyler Davis getting a huge tackle for a loss on this extract from the game:

And so it goes. This was a low scoring game that was still quite thrilling. The Rams had four giveaways, all interceptions thrown by rusty second-year quarterback Stetson Bennett. But the Rams stuck with Bennett, and Bennett stuck in there. It was Stetson Bennett who threw the game-winning touchdown to seldom-seen tight end Miller Forristall as time ran out to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Based on his pre-game comments to Bennett, it's almost as though Coach McVay knew that Bennett would struggle and that he would only find success, and reclaim his confidence if he kept throwing the football. But there are several other talking points from the Rams' victory that we will address as well:

(5) - Rams defense was flying around all over the place

In the past, the LA Rams defense has relied upon prevention, confusion, and sometimes simple mastery to face opposing offenses and claim victory. And while this is simply a preseason game void of starters, the pattern of newly hired DC Chris Shulas's defensive philosophy is already starting to take shape. The image that is forming is a defense that insists that the players fly around after the ball and the ball carrier.

I have to admit, I really enjoyed what I was seeing.:

This was the backup defensive players, many of whom will not end up on the team's 53-man roster, who were throwing caution to the wind and flying all over the place. It was an infectious and energetic group, one that truly seemed to have fun despite taking the football field with pretty bad field position. The Dallas Cowboys never punted in this one. It came down to one of two outcomes from the Cowboys offense. They would either attempt to kick a field goal (Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey made four of five field goals in this game), or they would turn the ball over on downs.

Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett threw four interceptions. But the Rams defense created three turnovers on downs. Those turnovers on downs are just as difficult, but won't be cited often in recaps about the game.

Still, Coach McVay noticed. He even did his part to acknowledge that Herculean effort at the podium in his post-game press conference.

At any point in time throughout the game, the defense could have surrendered. After all, they often had their backs to the wall. The Rams offense was not particularly effective at scoring, and was absurdly lax with ball security. And the defense was showing up on most plays. But something far greater was happening on the football field than players trying to look good.

If you wanted to get a visual of what camaraderie and esprit de corps looks like, just rewatch this game and focus on the Rams defense. Their performance was selfless, determined, gritty, and enthusiastic throughout the game. Even those players who made mental mistakes seemed to stick with it and make up for it with solid plays later in the game.

This defense looks great with backups. That sets the stage for the starters in Week 1.

(4) - Rookie WR Jordan Whittington flashing star power

Not every player in Game 1 of the LA Rams preseason is fighting for a roster spot. It was pretty obvious that rookie wide receiver Jordan Whittington has a roster slot signed, sealed, and ready to be delivered already. But he is still a rookie after all. And on the Rams depth chart, he is buried behind the likes of Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, and Demarcus Robinson, and competing for targets and offensive snaps with veteran Tutu Atwell and Tyler Johnson.

So getting work wherever and whenever he can is a good thing. And he was getting plenty of work in the first preseason game of the season:

Whittington seemed to be a man playing among 'boys (pun intended) in this one. His ability to break tackles and catch passes in traffic was on full display. He had a solid first half:

Will it be enough to earn him playing time when the season starts? Perhaps not. If the Rams default to their 11-personnel package, the offense will field WRs Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, and Demarcus Robinson. And for a change of pace, the team may swap out Robinson with Tutu Atwell. As solid as Whittington looks in preseason, he is not going to crack that lineup on his own merits.

That is not to say that he won't see any playing time. The Rams offense will afford some breaks to the starters to give them a rest to manage their workload, and Whittington could take advantage of the opportunity to get some offensive snaps and even attract some targets his way. But as it stands, he will not be a high-volume receiver in the offense in 2024.

(3) - Rams center Beaux Limmer is a powerhouse at center

The presence of rookie center Beaux Limmer was felt on the offensive line in the first preseason game. While just a rookie, Limmer is a demi-god of strength and power, a guy who squatted 700 pounds, and who looks the part of a guy you want to have alongside you in a street fight. Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 312 pounds, this former Arkansas interior offensive lineman is a solid get for the team.

His blocking prowess was obvious whenever he was on the football field. He was the catalyst to superb pass blocking that created a textbook pocket for QB Stetson Bennett to thrown from, as well as leading the charge to open rushing lanes for running back Boston Scott. And that was pretty much the story of the offensive line in the first half.

Until . . .

Limmer would leave the game. Some reported that he reinjured his thumb. Others suggested that he was seen holding his lower back (unconfirmed, as he may have simply been sighing or breathing heavily). But whatever the injury, he was replaced by the less effective Mike McAlister.

On the Rams unofficial depth chart, Mike McAlister is listed ahead of Beaux Limmer as the backup center. But after seeing their performances in Game 1 of the preseason, I'm not buying it. Limmer is the better center by far. For now, all that means is that he will sit on the bench if he makes the roster. I think he will. Hopefully he is not suffering from a serious injury.

(2) - Rookie Tyler Davis was making plays throughout the game

It seemed as though whenever this defense needed to make a stop, a tackle for a loss, or simply to stuff an run, there was rookie defensive tackle Tyler Davis in the midst of the action. He is strong, agile, fast, and elusive. In many ways, he seems to have the same better-than-the-brochure style of play as his teammate, NT/DT Kobie Turner.

And that is a very good thing.

This team needed to find plenty of help on the defensive front. After all, the team not only faced the retirement of DT Aaron Donald, but the expired contract of DE Jonah Williams. That translated into searching for two starters for the defensive line. As it now stands in the unofficial Rams depth chart, rookie DT Tyler Davis is playing behind both Kobie Turner and rookie DT Braden Fiske.

But he certainly showed up in a bg way against the Dallas Cowboys.

By the end of the game, he has chalked up six tackles, one tackle for a loss, and one quarterback hit. Only safety Jason Taylor II had more tackles in this game. Perhaps more importantly, whenever the team needed someone to step up on defense, DT Tyler Davis stepped up.

Davis certainly looks like the real deal, despite playing in just one preseason game so far. But as is so often the case, he will need to follow up this game with signs of growth and progress.

(1) - Kamren Kinchens is going to be a good one

While he did not get a lot of work in the first preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys, rookie defensive back Kamren Kinchens certainly showed up. The ESPN stats tracker for the game missed at least one pass break-up for Kinchens, which makes me wonder what other statistics may be missing in their box score.

Kinchens was hitting hard in the secondary throughout the game. He recorded just one tackle. But he was responsible for several incompletions as his body-jarring thump on would-be Cowboys receivers convince that it was simply not a great idea to catch a football in the vicinity of the rookie defensive back.

The team had a large number of defensive backs to cycle through in this game, and it was the rapid cycling of defensive backs that prohibited any single cornerback or safety from getting a solid feel for the game to make a play on the football or time the plays to break up multiple passes in this one. It was a basic vanilla defense facing basic vanilla offense.

As a 5-foot-11 207-pound safety, Kamren Kinchens plays much bigger than his size. He hits like a ton of bricks, and he was more than up to the task of punisher any and all receivers who entered his vicinity. I think he has a role to play in the secondary this year. And depending on how well that goes, he could have a much bigger role to play in 2025.

Rams post-game press conference

The LA Rams are always happy to get a win, regardless of the setting. Preseason games are penalty-free, so players are encouraged to push their boundaries, attempt throws that may not be tried in regular season games. After the final whistle, the Rams emerged with a one-point win.

This was a team effort, a full team effort. In preseason games, that 'team' label applies to a much larger number of players. The defense cycled a large number of players through to get their shots to compete. While that meant giving snaps to many players, it limits their ability to get a 'feel' for the game.

Coach McVay appeared at the podium and gave a smiling and enthusiastic recap of the game. And you have to take rapid notes when McVay started to speak. This was a fun game, and McVay had a solid perspective about the emotional roller coaster this game presented. It was the full gamut, the momentum oscillated from team to team. In the end, the Rams had the final meaningful possession of the game, and converted the only touchdown on the day.

As Stetson Bennett appeared at the podium, he had to face the knowledge that he made mental mistakes, and that he is not quite 'there.' But he has a right to be proud. He led the team in the final game-winning drive. Prior to that, we have to give him the credit to passing the football to WRs Jordan Whittington and Xavier Smith. But he truly seemed to have a connection to TE Miller Forristall, and that connection proved to be the difference.

Bennett is demure. Unlike the overconfident rookie from 2023, he is far more humble this season. And it makes sense, as he threw four interceptions to just one touchdown pass.

But he ended this one with a touchdown pass in the red zone, the only touchdown scored in the game. He desperately needed to flip the momentum of this one, and he did. In 2023, He started hot and ended not. Perhaps he will go the other way in 2024. After all, one data point does not make a trend.

Thanks for reading.