Forget the game for a moment. Ty Simpson may have earned more respect for what he said off the field than for anything he did on it. After getting a taste of both Arrowhead and SoFi this preseason, the Rams rookie did not play it safe. He made one comparison between the two stadiums; Chiefs fans took it personally, and plenty of others ended up siding with the rookie instead.

“Yeah, it feels a lot different,” Simpson said, according to Fox Sports reporter Eric Williams. “Arrowhead’s kind of like a college stadium in the sense of, you know, the college environment outside. Here (in SoFi Stadium), it gave a really good vibe.”

Simpson had already played in both, and the contrast was immediate.

Arrowhead was the site of his first live NFL game, where he took over after Stetson Bennett IV and completed 21 of 25 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns in a 20-12 win over the Chiefs.

A week later, he got his first taste of SoFi, entering in the second half against the Saints and finishing 8 of 12 for 73 yards in a 34-0 rout.

But the setting could not have felt more different. At Arrowhead, Simpson was technically in the NFL, but the place still felt like college football. He was the visitor, the crowd was loud, the tailgating culture was everywhere, and the whole setup carried the same raw, football-first energy he had just left behind at Alabama.

Then he got to SoFi, and the contrast slapped him in the face. This was his home now, with Rams fans, a slicker setting, and a much more polished NFL feel.

That comparison was enough to set off Chiefs fans. Some treated “college stadium” like an insult, called the rookie a “loudmouth,” and argued one preseason game was nowhere near enough to judge Arrowhead. Others thought the outrage was absurd. Coming from Alabama, Simpson knows exactly what a brutal college atmosphere feels like, and plenty of fans argued he was actually praising Kansas City’s noise and intensity.

But Simpson did not invent this Arrowhead take, and Chiefs fans acting like he crossed some sacred line ignores their own history. Former Kansas City quarterback Brodie Croyle, another Alabama product, made almost the same comparison back in 2010 when he said Arrowhead was the closest thing in the NFL to a college atmosphere.

“Very similar,” Croyle said. “I think, as far as the NFL goes, Kansas City is as close as you can get to a college atmosphere, especially the Monday night game to open the season. It was really rocking there.” He still gave Alabama the edge, adding that “it’s hard to beat the Bryant-Denny experience.”

Even Ryan Fitzpatrick saw Arrowhead the same way years before Simpson did. The former Jets quarterback did not treat the college comparison as disrespect either. To him, that was exactly what made Kansas City so difficult for visiting teams. The noise, the crowd involvement, and the way Chiefs fans stay locked into the game gave Arrowhead a different kind of edge, one that felt closer to a major college environment than a typical NFL stop.

“It may be the loudest,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s a fun place to play because the fans are so into it. It’s almost like a college atmosphere with all of the excitement and how into the Chiefs they are.” He then made the real point clear, adding, “It’s hard to go in there as a road team and pull out a win.”

Not only Ryan but Eric Fisher saw the same thing Simpson did, and he experienced it from inside the Chiefs locker room.

The former Kansas City tackle said Arrowhead never felt like a typical NFL stop because the fans, the history and the tailgating gave the entire place a more festive, college-style edge. The smoke from the barbecues, the packed lots and the way Chiefs fans built game day around football made the stadium feel less corporate and far more intense.

Fisher said there was “no place like Arrowhead Stadium in pro football,” adding that it felt more like “a college atmosphere” with “a real intense vibe.” That makes Simpson’s comparison look even less outrageous. A former Chiefs player had already described Arrowhead in almost the exact same terms years earlier.

The outrage looks even thinner when the Chiefs’ own history is dragged into it. Their 1995 media guide proudly called Arrowhead “college-like,” highlighting parking lots packed with barbecues, tents, bands and fans hours before kickoff.

And while the stadium debate has taken over the conversation, Simpson has given the Rams far more to talk about than one comment.

How has rookie Ty Simpson adjusted in the Rams

The Rams did not spend the No. 13 pick on Simpson just to give Matthew Stafford company. Stafford may be coming off an MVP season, but drafting a quarterback that high screams succession plan.

The hype only grew heading into the preseason. Before his first game against the Chiefs, Simpson made it clear how much the moment meant to him.

“I’m super excited,” Simpson said after practice. “It’s the first time I get to play a game not only in a Rams uniform but in an NFL uniform, and I’m just really ready to show who I am.”

And he backed it up. Simpson completed 21 of 25 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns, both to running back Dean Connors, in a 20-12 win over the Chiefs. More than the numbers, his command of the offense and ability to work through his reads caught Sean McVay’s attention.

“I thought Ty had great command all day,” McVay said. “He was able to get through good progressions and got a lot of different guys involved. I thought he took what the defense gave him. I thought he read the plays out, read with his feet. He did a really good job overall.”

So far, Simpson has carried his training-camp momentum into the preseason. His next chance comes August 27 against the Chargers at SoFi Stadium, giving the rookie one more opportunity to strengthen an already promising start.