Rams Hold Off Chargers 20-18 as Herbert and Johnston Connect for 65

The Rams beat the Chargers 20-18 in the Battle of LA preseason finale, and the single best moment belonged to two players who barely stuck around. On the game's second possession, Justin Herbert dropped a 65-yard touchdown into Quentin Johnston's hands, then handed the rest of the night to the backups. From there it was a bubble game, and a pair of running backs did the heavy lifting.

Herbert and Johnston made their cameo count

Quentin Johnston Justin Herbert

Herbert played just three snaps in the passing game, going 2 of 3 for 74 yards, but the 65-yard strike to Johnston was the kind of explosive connection that carries real fantasy meaning heading into the season. Johnston finished with that single 65-yard catch, and it is exactly the big-play flash managers want to see from him before Week 1. It was over quickly, but it was the play of the night.

Two backs carried the rest of the game

Greg Desrosiers Jr.

With the starters off the field, Greg Desrosiers Jr. was the most explosive player on it. He ran nine times for 118 yards, a 13.1-yard average, capped by a 34-yard touchdown that pulled the Chargers within 20-18 early in the fourth quarter. On the other side, Dean Connors did a bit of everything for the Rams: a team-high 18 carries for 69 yards plus three catches for 24 yards, including an 8-yard receiving touchdown from Matthew Caldwell. Jordan Waters added 15 carries for 53 yards behind him.

The backup quarterbacks split the rest

Ty Simpson

Ty Simpson was the sharpest passer in the game, going 18 of 23 for 119 yards and a touchdown (an 11-yarder to Brennan Presley) with a 102.7 rating. For the Chargers, DJ Uiagalelei went 11 of 18 for 141 yards but took three sacks, and Trey Lance did not complete a pass (0 of 2) while adding 22 yards on four carries. Los Angeles pulled within two on Desrosiers' touchdown and a two-point conversion (a DJ Uiagalelei pass to Evan Svoboda), but neither offense scored again and the Rams held on.

CJ Daniels

Among the receivers, Brennan Presley led the Rams with seven targets and a touchdown, and CJ Daniels stayed involved with five catches for 42 yards on six looks, a quieter follow-up to his heavy target night a week earlier.

What the big plays actually mean for your draft

The two headline moments in this game sit at opposite ends of the fantasy relevance scale, and telling them apart is the whole exercise. Justin Herbert connecting with Quentin Johnston on a 65-yard touchdown is real signal, because it involves an established starting quarterback trusting a specific receiver on a downfield shot, which is the exact skill that translates from August to September. Johnston has spent his career fighting a reputation for inconsistency, so a clean, explosive rep with the starter is a small but genuine reason to feel better about his weekly ceiling. That is the play to remember when you decide whether to pay his current draft cost.

Greg Desrosiers Jr.'s 118-yard night is the opposite. It came against backups deep into the game, and gaudy rushing lines from camp-roster runners rarely survive contact with a real depth chart. He is worth knowing by name in case injuries reshape the Chargers backfield, but he is not a player to reach for now. Dean Connors' dual-role usage for the Rams is the more durable profile of the two, since a back who both carries the ball 18 times and catches a touchdown has more ways to earn snaps. Ty Simpson's efficient passing rounds out a quietly encouraging night for the Los Angeles backups on both sides of the stadium.

What to do with this

The one takeaway with genuine redraft value is Quentin Johnston's 65-yard touchdown from Herbert, a real starter connection worth remembering when you weigh his price. Greg Desrosiers Jr.'s explosive night and Dean Connors' dual-role usage are camp-battle notes more than draft movers. Check the rookie rankings, see how these depth charts are priced in the best ball tool, and run the backfields through the mock draft simulator. Full box score: ESPN.

This is part of our Preseason Week 3 roundup, where the storylines that matter across every game are pulled together.