That was a complete beatdown by the San Francisco 49ers. A 27-7 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, a team many picked as preseason Super Bowl favorites, and San Francisco made it look easy on the big stage in Australia. 

It certainly looked like the 49ers travel plans were superior to those of the Rams after this one, but one could argue that they didn’t matter at all. The 49ers flat out dominated the Rams on both sides of the ball. Many guys deserve a shoutout for their performances.

I’ve got five winners from this one, and they tell the story of a Niners team that was firing on all cylinders.

Offensive Line

The first winner is the 49ers offensive line. They were outstanding. No sacks allowed, and they completely negated Myles Garrett on the day. A lot of credit should go to Kyle Shanahan’s play calling as well. Still, the offensive line was dominant in pass protection and opened holes in the run game to the tune of 5.8 yards per carry. 

That group deserves a massive share of the credit for this San Francisco victory. The trenches may have been the biggest reason for their success. 

Mike Evans

My second winner is new 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans. He finished with 6 catches, 49 yards, and a touchdown in his San Francisco debut. While Evans didn’t have any crazy explosive plays, he was still able to show a lot of traits that made him attractive to Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch. 

Evans made some tough catches, went over the middle, played physical, played big. You could tell that Brock Purdy wanted to get him the football, and Evans stepped up when his number was called. The jump ball on the goal-line fade was awesome to see from Evans in a 49ers uniform.

That’s exactly the kind of reliable presence San Francisco brought him in to be.

Deebo Samuel 

My third winner stays in the wide receiver room. Deebo Samuel had 6 grabs, 48 yards, and a touchdown, plus some strong returns in the kick return game in his first game back with the team. The 49ers use Samuel in such a variety of ways, and you could tell that versatility picked up right where it left off in 2024. 

He is going to be big for this Niners team, especially with injuries stacking up at the position. We saw De’Zhaun Stribling go down, which was not good. Obviously, everyone hopes he’s okay, and it seems like he is as his achilles is intact.

It was huge for San Francisco to have Samuel’s presence back on their side. Even at 30 years old he can do multiple things that others in the league just simply can’t. 

Nick Bosa

I hate to stick with only star names, but I’ve got two more stars to name on the defensive side. My fourth winner is Nick Bosa. Having him back out there was massive: 2 tackles for loss, 4 tackles on the night. He didn’t get a sack, but you could tell he was affecting Los Angeles’ game plan, generating pressure on quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Bosa was excellent against the run, too, making plays on short-yardage downs by getting into the backfield and creating contact. 

The defensive front is banged up, so it is excellent that Bosa is healthy and able to go early in the season. I would also expect his play to get better as he gets even healthier and is joined by guys like Mykel Williams later on. 

Fred Warner

My fifth and final winner is middle linebacker Fred Warner. He was outstanding, leading the team in tackles with 11 and flying all over the field. Warner almost even had an interception on the first drive and probably should have come down with it. 

But the way he played, it was almost like he was hearing Rams coach Sean McVay give his play calls and knew where the ball was going every single time. He was a huge factor in the 49ers holding the Rams to their lowest point total in the Stafford Era.

All four of those players and the offensive line as the fifth stepped up in a huge way. The 49ers completely dominated the preseason Super Bowl favorites in Australia. It’s a heck of a way to start 1-0 on the season and in NFC West play. 

If a win over the Rams is any indication, the 49ers are going to be a problem for the rest of the league.