San Francisco 49ers demolished the Los Angeles Rams long before they took the field in the NFL’s first Australia game
The San Francisco 49ers beat the Los Angeles Rams, 27-7, in the NFL’s first ever game in Australia. The final score was yet to be determined until triple zeros hit the clock in the fourth quarter, but the game was long over before it started.
The San Francisco 49ers beat the Los Angeles Rams, 27-7, in the NFL’s first ever game in Australia. The final score was yet to be determined until triple zeros hit the clock in the fourth quarter, but the game was long over before it started.
Brock Purdy played clean and efficient football, tossing three touchdown passes to three different receivers, including Mike Evans in his first game for the club. San Francisco’s offense completely outclassed LA’s revamped defense despite losing rookie wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling and tight end Jake Tonges to injuries during the game.
Deebo Samuel even got in on the action with a touchdown in his first game back with the franchise. Trent Williams shut out Myles Garrett all game long in what ended up being a lopsided battle between two titans.
It looked like one team was ready to play after shaking off some rust, and the other was still adjusting to its environment and major time zone shift. That’s because that’s exactly what it was.
49ers’ approach to jet lag proves superior to Rams
The 49ers and Rams took polar opposite strategies in preparing for this Week 1 matchup in Melbourne. San Francisco had been in Australia for the previous week in an attempt to adjust to the time difference. Los Angeles had gotten there only a day earlier, hoping that a special charter plane allowing players to rest properly would be the way to go.
Week 1 can be very random. There’s a lot of chaos and unpredictability. Any leg up you can have over the opposition, especially one you know so well, can make all the difference. It’s clear that San Francisco’s approach of acclimating to the other side of the world and the time difference that comes with it was far more effective than what the Rams tried to do.
The Rams had an advantage of this game being at a neutral site. Los Angeles is now 3-8 against Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers as the home team, and yet this game looked like any other average San Francisco victory being played in SoFi Stadium.
A blueprint for future Aussie games
This result makes you wonder if other teams who eventually play in Australia will look to emulate the 49ers’ strategy and get out there as early as possible. Every team that will make future trips down under will want to get there with plenty of time to spare. L.A.’s risk was exactly that, and it’s unlikely we’ll see it copied in hopes of a different result.
Sure, there’s going to be an adjustment period and jet lag when the Niners get back to the U.S., but San Francisco has a mini-bye leading up to its Week 2 matchup against the Miami Dolphins at home. There should be plenty of time to reset back to normalcy.
The 49ers will do so with a key victory that could set them up nicely later on in a heated battle for the NFC West.
