49ers Rout Rams 27-7 in Australia as Coaches Downplay 15-Hour Travel Edge
Updated
Updated · ESPN · Sep 11
49ers Rout Rams 27-7 in Australia as Coaches Downplay 15-Hour Travel Edge
3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Sep 11
Summary
San Francisco's 27-7 win in Melbourne quickly sparked questions about whether arriving Sept. 4 gave the 49ers an edge over a Rams team that flew in Thursday and left after the game.
Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay both rejected travel as the main reason for the result, saying preparation mattered but Los Angeles simply did not play well enough.
17 straight second-half points turned a sloppy start into the Rams' worst defeat since Week 2 of 2024, making them the first preseason Super Bowl favorite in 50 years to lose an opener by 20-plus points.
Brock Purdy threw 3 touchdown passes, the 49ers averaged 5.8 yards per carry, and Raheem Morris' defense held Matthew Stafford's Rams to their lowest scoring output with him at quarterback.
100,021 fans filled Melbourne Cricket Ground for the NFL's first regular-season game in Australia, but San Francisco is unlikely to return soon because other teams hold the country's marketing rights and the trip's logistics remain taxing.