The Rams will wrap up their 2026 preseason slate taking on the Chargers as the road team at SoFi Stadium Thursday night. Kickoff from Inglewood, Calif. is scheduled for 7 p.m. pacific time on Rams TV affiliate KCBS and radio affiliate ESPNLA 710 AM.
In advance of the contest, here is your First Look at Rams-Chargers.
Notable Chargers additions
- Hired former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel as their new offensive coordinator: McDaniel replaced Greg Roman, who held the position for the last two years. In Miami, McDaniel oversaw what was one of the fastest offenses in the NFL, and a unit that was also well-regarded for its run game.
- Selected former Florida center Jake Slaughter in the second round (63rd overall) of this year's draft: Center was a position of need for the Chargers after the retirement of Bradley Bozeman, and they doubled-down on the position by signing Tyler Biadasz and drafting Slaughter. Already notable because of the draft investment, Slaughter becomes a greater one after Biadasz was placed on Injured Reserve with a season-ending knee injury in a recent joint practice with the 49ers.
Top performers in Preseason Week 2
Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei completed 7-of-15 pass attempts for 80 yards and one touchdown in the Chargers' 41-17 loss to the 49ers. Trey Lance, who is listed as the backup to starter Justin Herbert, completed 10-of-16 pass attempts for 73 yards.
Lance also led the Chargers in rushing yards with two carries for 42 yards (long of 37).
The Chargers had six different receivers post two catches.
Linebacker Junior Colson and safety Devin Grant each recorded an interception, while linebacker Landon Barton and cornerback Avery Smith tied for the team lead with six total tackles each.
Kicker Cameron Dicker made his lone field goal attempt (21 yards) and missed his lone extra point attempt, while punter JK Scott averaged 47.6 yards per punt across eight punts.
Early storylines to watch, and what they mean for the Rams
Like last week, it will again be the quarterbacks' usage. Head coach Sean McVay on Monday said that while Ty Simpson will play, he hasn't decided yet whether Stetson Bennett IV will, or what the overall approach to the position will look like Thursday night.
The circumstances last year – an established backup in Jimmy Garoppolo, meant the Rams had the luxury of Dresser Winn starting and playing the entire 2025 preseason finale. Given McVay said he hasn't decided yet which quarterback will back up Matthew Stafford, it makes sense why this year's situation will likely lend itself to a different approach.
"There is no doubt about it that in some form or fashion … I'm not minimizing that Stetson needs to work, so does Ty," McVay said after Monday's practice. "Last year was more of a reflection of Stetson had played so much. Jimmy wasn't even playing in the preseason and you wanted to give Dresser an opportunity. I would like to be able to figure out a way to give (quarterback Matthew) Caldwell an opportunity to play, no question. But is it going to be something similar to last year? This is a different year and so it'll probably be a little bit different approach."
