Rams Fly to Australia 24 Hours Before 49ers Opener as NFL Expands to 10 Overseas Games
Updated
Updated · NFL.com · Sep 7
Rams Fly to Australia 24 Hours Before 49ers Opener as NFL Expands to 10 Overseas Games
3 articles · Updated · NFL.com · Sep 7
Summary
Tuesday night departure will put the Rams in Melbourne on Thursday, about 24 hours before Friday’s 10:35 a.m. local kickoff against the 49ers at the MCG.
Sean McVay said the late-arrival plan is meant to keep the week as normal as possible, drawing on lessons from last October’s London trip, when Los Angeles arrived a day before and beat Jacksonville 35-7.
San Francisco chose the opposite approach, arriving in Melbourne last Friday for a full week of acclimation, setting up a direct test of two travel models for long-haul NFL games.
That comparison could matter beyond this opener: the NFL has nine international games this season, owners approved the maximum 10 starting in 2027, and Roger Goodell wants all 16 teams to play abroad annually.