All eyes were on Ty Simpson for his NFL debut on Saturday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium. It was the first preseason action for the Los Angeles Rams' top pick in the 2026 draft, giving fans a glimpse at what the future could hold once Matthew Stafford retires.
Simpson entered the game against the Chiefs at the end of the first quarter after Stetson Bennett played two possessions, much to the excitement of the Rams' faithful around the country. Though there were probably some pre-game jitters for the rookie quarterback, the moment certainly didn't look too big for him.
His first completion was a 7-yard dump-off to Max Klare on a roll-out to his right, getting the ball into the hands of a fellow rookie. It wasn't a highlight-reel play, but he took what the defense gave him, and that was an easy completion.
NFL preseason debut for @ty_simpson06 🤩
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Simpson was just 1-for-2 on his first drive, which was a brief one that ended in a punt, but he found a rhythm on the second drive. He went 4-for-4 for 41 yards during drive No. 2, capping it off with a Harrison Mevis field goal from 40 yards to put the Rams up, 6-3.
His best throw on the drive was a 23-yarder to Mark Redman, once again on a boot out to his right. He layered the ball nicely to the tight end for a big gain.
Ty Simpson completes the pass for 23 yards on his first snap of the Preseason.
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This throw on the run to Tyler Scott was also put in the right spot away from trouble. And as good as the throw was, it was an even better catch by the young receiver.
Still thinking 'bout this @ty_simpson06 strike to @TheTylerScott 🎯
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Simpson continued to look comfortable on his third drive, once again targeting Klare often. It was a two-minute drill after the Rams got the ball back with just over 30 seconds left in the half, but he orchestrated the offense well in that situation.
He completed a nice throw to Klare on the right side for 11 yards, followed by a quick completion to Xavier Smith that allowed him to get out of bounds and stop the clock. With 1 second left, the Rams tried a Hail Mary but Simpson was hit before he could give it a real chance down the field.
That final pass of the first half snapped a streak of eight straight completions.
In the second half, Simpson kept taking what the defense gave him, throwing easy out routes and checkdowns to keep the ball moving in the right direction. He was forced to scramble at the end of the third quarter after a defender dove at his feet, doing a nice job of avoiding the rush and finding Dean Connors on the run for 5 yards on third-and-long.
Made something out of nothing… pic.twitter.com/7JEoAoCLKZ
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In the fourth quarter, Simpson threw his first (unofficial) touchdown pass in the NFL, a 9-yard screen to Dean Connors, who eluded a couple of defenders on his way to the end zone.
Simpson didn't have to do much on the play, but he did a nice job moving the defense to the left before coming back to Connors in the flat.
.@RamsNFL rookie RB Dean Connors sheds tackles to get six.
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On the next drive, Simpson looked better than he had all game – and he was playing well before then, too. He threw a strike to Brennan Presley over the middle after a play-action fake, picking up 23 yards on the completion. The ball was a little bit low, but Presley brought it in with a nice catch while going to the ground.
Simpson looked comfortable faking the handoff, quickly getting his eyes back downfield to the receivers.
Ty Simpson zips it to Brennan Presley for a 23-yard pick up.
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A few plays later, operating out of the gun, Simpson had plenty of time in the pocket thanks to good blocking up front, and he took advantage. He zipped a bullet to CJ Daniels on a crosser, putting the ball in a spot where only his receiver could make a play.
Daniels had been pretty quiet up to that point, but it was a strong catch by the rookie with a defender in his pocket.
Ty zips one to CJ!
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To cap off the drive, Simpson hit Connors once again for a touchdown, this time on an angle route by the running back out of the backfield. Simpson put it right on the running back as he was coming out of his break, and though it was bobbled initially, Connors held on for six.
Ty Simpson throws a dart to Dean Connors for the touchdown.
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After running out the clock on the Rams' final possession, Simpson ended the afternoon with a near-perfect stat line: 21-for-25, 190 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He didn't come close to turning the ball over, only throwing four incompletions on the day.
It went about as well as it possibly could have, and though both the Rams offense and Chiefs defense were basic and vanilla, it's hard not to be encouraged by what we saw from the rookie. After taking short, quick throws initially, he began to go through his progressions and push the ball down the field more as the game went on.
At the very least, he temporarily silenced the doubters who thought he was a reach at No. 13 overall.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: How did Rams rookie Ty Simpson play in his debut vs. Chiefs?