INGLEWOOD, Calif. — For 57 minutes Sunday afternoon, Stetson Bennett looked like a quarterback who hadn’t been on the field in nearly a year.

In the final three minutes, however, Bennett led the Los Angeles Rams on a game-winning drive that potentially brought back memories of his time leading the University of Georgia to two consecutive national titles.

Bennett recovered four interceptions on the afternoon and threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Miller Forristall with 4 seconds left as the Rams caught up to a 13-12 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in both teams’ season opener.

“That was probably the weirdest game I’ve ever been in,” said Bennett, who completed 24 of 38 passes for 224 yards. “But I told myself we were going to take it all on today. My goal was not to make any mental mistakes. It was basically about executing the offense the right way.”

“Of course there were some slip-ups, but at the end of the day it was either getting the ball into the end zone or losing, and I think everyone fought for that.”

Bennett was drafted in the fourth round by the Rams last year. He was absent from the team during the regular season because he had to deal with his mental health.

Bennett was 8 of 9 for 61 yards on the game-winning 13-play, 70-yard drive – including his sidearm toss to Forristall on fourth and deciding down from the Dallas 6-yard line. Forristall had all three of his pass catches for 31 yards on the final possession.

Los Angeles seemed to have had its day when Bennett threw his fifth interception on the last play before the two-minute warning, but it was nullified when Dallas was warned for holding.

“Obviously I want to minimize turnovers, but that didn’t really surprise me,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “We talked as coaches on the headset. It was like he was saying, ‘You know what? He’s the guy who’s probably going to lead us to a game-winning touchdown drive, and Stetson did a great job.'”

McVay particularly praised the performance of wide receiver Jordan Whittington, who received six passes for 74 yards, and rookie Joshua Karty, who scored two field goals for the Rams.

Trey Lance threw for 188 yards in his first game for the Cowboys, including four field goals by Brandon Aubrey.

Lance was selected third overall in the 2021 draft by the San Francisco 49ers and appeared in eight games in his first two seasons, starting four of them. Last season, he was traded to the Cowboys for a fourth-round pick on August 26, but did not play in a game.

“I think I learned a lot from that. I played with a lot of different guys. It was good to feel the energy in the huddle,” said Lance, who came on as a substitute to start the second series and completed 25 of 41 passes. “I definitely made some plays from the first quarter to the fourth quarter. If we have the ball four more times and don’t score a touchdown, it’s not a good feeling.”

Aubrey gave the Cowboys a 9-6 lead with 6:08 minutes left in the game. After Brock Mogensen intercepted a pass from Bennett on the ensuing drive and returned it to the Rams’ 23-yard line, Aubrey kicked a 52-yard pass and extended the lead to six points (12-6) with 2:52 minutes left.

The Rams got the opening kickoff and managed 61 yards in 12 plays before Karty broke the goal posts from 28 yards. Whittington had the key play on the drive with a 34-yard pass.

On second-and-11 from the Rams’ 41-yard line, Whittington intercepted the ball at the 35-yard line, shook off a tackle attempt by Dallas cornerback Eric Scott and made it to the 11-yard line before being tackled by Damone Clark.

Cooper Rush led the Cowboys to a field goal on his only drive. His 43-yard pass down the left sideline to Jalen Brooks put Dallas in the red zone at the Rams’ 15-yard line.

The drive stalled at LA’s 12-yard line before Aubrey kicked his first field goal from 27 yards out to tie the score at 3-3.

In the second quarter, the teams again exchanged field goals.

Karty’s 39-yard kick with 9:13 left capped a 14-play, 76-yard Rams possession. Dallas answered with a 12-play, 52-yard run that led to Aubrey’s 36-yard field goal with 4:51 left in the first half.

“In some ways it looked like we were playing our first game, but in other ways I’m really happy with the turnovers and the way we kept the ball. There’s a lot to learn from,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said.