MidValleySports.Com

By Tim Peterson

(Inglewood) – For the second straight week the Chargers were kept out of the end zone and they fell to the Rams 13-9 Saturday in a preseason game at SoFi Stadium.

Stetson Bennett hit JJ Laap on a 47-yard touchdown pass with 9:48 left in the fourth quarter to give the Rams a 13-9 lead. The Rams held on the rest of the way for the victory.

Bennett played the entire game for the Rams while the Chargers started Easton Stick before turning to Luis Perez in the second half.

The Rams drove into Charger territory on the opening possession. After the drive was halted at the 31-yard line Joshua Karty kicked a 48-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

Cameron “The Kicker” Dicker booted a 55-yarder as the Chargers responded on their first series to tie it at 3 with 5:03 left in the first quarter.

Early in the second quarter the Chargers marched down to the Rams one-yard line but there was a fumble on the exchange by quarterback Easton Stick and the Rams recovered with 11:50 left in the second.

However the Rams were stopped on fourth down at the Chargers 35-yard line on the following possession.

Jaylen McCollough then intercepted Stick on the next possession and the Rams took over at their own 26.

Rams still weren’t able to take advantage of the turnover and punted the ball back. The Chargers took the lead late in the second quarter when Dicker booted a 37-yard field goal with 1:16 left.

The Chargers took the three-point lead into halftime.

Karty split the uprights from 43 yards out for the Rams in the third quarter to tie it at 6 with 8:31 left.

Luis Perez, who replaced Stick in the third quarter, was sacked and coughed up the ball. The Rams recovered and took over at the Chargers 33-yard line. But the Rams gave it right back when Stetson Bennett was picked off in the end zone by Deane Leonard with 3:24 left in the third quarter. The score remained tied at 6.

Karty missed a 52-yard field goal for the Rams early in the fourth quarter but Dicker connected on the next series from 27 yards out to give the Chargers a 9-6 lead with 10:47 left in the quarter.

The Rams answered with a quick strike. 59 seconds later Laap hauled in the 47-yard touchdown pass from Bennett to put the Rams on top 13-9.

The Chargers were stopped on fourth down at the Ram 21-yard line with 3:26 left. The Rams took over and were able to salt away the victory.

For the Chargers Stick completed 8 of 13 for 85 yards and an interception. Perez was 13 of 20 for 78 yards. Kimani Vidal rushed for 49 yards on 11 carries. For the Rams Bennett went 17 of 31 for 213 yards and a touchdown and an interception.

The Chargers are now 0-2 in the preseason while the Rams are 2-0. The Chargers will play the Cowboys in Dallas in the final preseason game next Saturday while the Rams will travel to Houston to battle the Texans.