Steelers-Bills Preseason Finale: How the Backup Quarterback Battles Set Up Thursday’s Highmark Stadium Matchup

Two Los Angeles teams share the same stadium, the same city and, on Thursday night, the same 53-man roster deadline hanging over their heads. The Rams and Chargers close out the 2026 preseason at SoFi Stadium in a game that means nothing in the standings and everything to the players fighting for the last handful of spots on both sides. Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. ET on NFL Network, and this one is worth watching for reasons that have nothing to do with who wins.

The Backup Quarterback Race Nobody Can Call

Start with the Chargers, where Justin Herbert’s primary backup job is still genuinely unsettled between Trey Lance and DJ Uiagalelei. Head coach Jim Harbaugh has called the competition “tight” through two preseason games, and the tape backs him up. Uiagalelei went 7-of-15 for 80 yards and a touchdown in the Chargers’ last outing against San Francisco, while Lance was 10-of-16 for 73 yards and ran for 42 more, pushing his preseason numbers to 22-of-36 passing for 237 yards with one interception. Lance’s legs give him a slight separator, but if this finale doesn’t produce a winner, the Chargers have shown a willingness before to bring in outside help at the position rather than force a decision.

Ty Simpson’s Rookie Case Against a Fourth-Year Veteran

The more nationally relevant version of that same story is happening on the Rams’ side. Rookie Ty Simpson, whom Los Angeles surprised everyone by taking 13th overall in April, has spent the entire summer chasing Stetson Bennett IV for the right to be Matthew Stafford’s primary backup. Simpson was terrific in his preseason debut against Kansas City — 21-of-25 for 190 yards and two touchdowns — and has completed 29 of 37 passes for 263 yards and two scores across his two appearances. Bennett clapped back in Week 2 against New Orleans with 181 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns, and he’s continued to get the bulk of second-team practice reps heading into Thursday.

Sean McVay has confirmed Simpson plays in the finale and will also give undrafted free agent Matthew Caldwell his first extended look, but he hasn’t announced whether Bennett plays at all. That detail matters: McVay has a track record of sitting his No. 2 quarterback in preseason finales, which would hint that Bennett has already secured the job. The stakes go beyond just making the roster, too — the winner is expected to be the Rams’ emergency arm for their international trip to Australia later this season.

Roster Bubbles on Both Sides of the Ball

The quarterbacks will get the headlines, but plenty of other jobs are on the line Thursday. Rams outside linebacker Wesley Bailey has built a strong case for a roster spot with seven tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and four quarterback hits this preseason, and cornerback Cam Lampkin is competing for what could be the final defensive back spot behind a group led by Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. The Rams also lost cornerback Zech McPhearson and outside linebacker Keir Thomas for the season this week after placing both on injured reserve, which opens the door slightly wider for depth players trying to stick.

On the Chargers’ side, inside linebacker Junior Colson is playing for his roster life. The third-round pick has dealt with an injury-interrupted start to his career and is currently being outplayed in camp by Marlowe Wax, even after Colson delivered a highlight-reel pick-six against San Francisco last week. Defensive tackle TeRah Edwards has been productive enough that the Chargers may end up carrying a sixth interior lineman just to keep him around, and the wide receiver competition behind the top four of Ladd McConkey, Tre Harris, Quentin Johnston and Brenen Thompson remains one of the more open position battles on the roster.

Prediction and Best Bet

Betting markets have installed the Chargers as favorites by roughly 3.5 to 4 points with the total sitting near 38.5, numbers that reflect roster depth more than talent given how little either team’s stars figure to play. Harbaugh has framed this as a dress rehearsal for some starters getting extended run, which should give Los Angeles’ AFC side a slight rhythm edge in a game where sloppy execution is otherwise the expectation.

• Prediction: Chargers 20, Rams 16
• Best Bet: Chargers -3.5

This is a game to watch through the lens of jobs, not scoreboards — Simpson, Bennett, Lance and Uiagalelei are all playing their final audition, and the players around them on defense have just as much riding on a strong final impression before cuts come down this weekend.