49ers Emerge as NFC West Contender in Australia, Rams

If we all learned one thing from the NFL's first game in Australia, it's that the Los Angeles Rams might want to fire their travel agent. Despite a 17-hour time difference between Australia and California, the Rams decided to show up at the last minute for their game in Melbourne and that decision turned out to be a disaster.

The Rams were dominated in the second half in a 27-7 loss to the  San Francisco 49ers , a team that spent an entire week in Australia before the game, which kicked off at 10:35 a.m. AEST in Melbourne.

Everyone on the internet loves to overreact, and the Rams gave us plenty to discuss from the loss, including their travel schedule.

With that in mind, let's go over some of the hottest takes from the game and decide if they're overreactions.

1. 49ers can steal the NFC West title

Going into the start of the season, the 49ers were essentially an afterthought in the NFC West. Heading into Week 1, the Rams were favored to win the division with the Seahawks right behind them. The 49ers were essentially viewed as the third-place team in the NFC West, at best.

After only one week of action, the division has been completely turned upside down. The 49ers didn't just beat the Rams, they absolutely embarrassed them. Even if this game had been played in Los Angeles, the 49ers were so much better that it feels like they would have won. Kyle Shanahan outsmarted Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula and Sean McVay's offense struggled to move the ball against San Francisco's defense.

It was only one game, but the 49ers certainly looked like a better team than the Rams. And let's not forget about the Seahawks. They just lost Sam Darnold to a hip injury and although he's not expected to be dealing with a long-term absence, he will likely end up missing a few games. Based on what's happened over the past 48 hours, it doesn't seem too crazy to say that the 49ers can steal the NFC West title.

Verdict: Reality.

2. Rams outsmarted themselves.

The Rams apparently sent 15 employees to Australia multiple times over the past two years, and after doing so, they concluded that arriving in Melbourne just 28 hours before the game was the way to go. If you watched the game, you could tell early on that this was a horrible decision. The Rams looked slow, they looked tired and they looked like they were about to fall asleep on the field, especially in the second half.

McVay refused to blame the team's traveling plan for the loss , so I'll do it for him.

The flight to Melbourne took 16 hours. Even if you somehow figure out how to beat the jet lag, that doesn't mean your body is going to be physically recovered from spending 16 hours at altitude. It's hard to fault the Rams for thinking outside the box -- after all, the Rams were 3-0 in international games under Sean McVay going into this week -- but they simply outsmarted themselves. You can land in London 24 hours before the game, but trying to pull off that strategy when you have to cross the international dateline probably wasn't the best idea.

Verdict: Reality.

3. Rams are cooked

The Rams were the Super Bowl favorite going into the season, which I'm only pointing out because their 20-point setback was the largest Week 1 loss by any Super Bowl favorite over the past 50 years. Their offense looked bad, their defense looked ugly, and their coaching staff got out-classed. After a loss like that, you could certainly make the argument that the Rams were overhyped. They definitely have a few flaws and one of those flaws is that they rely heavily on older players like Matthew Stafford (38), Davante Adams (33) and Myles Garrett (30). All three of those players looked old in Australia. They were absolute non-factors and if that happens going forward, the Rams could be in trouble.

Of course, the key thing to keep in mind here is that this was only Week 1. The 49ers also won their Week 1 game last season and the team they beat -- the Seahawks -- ended up winning the Super Bowl. It's also not unheard for a team to get destroyed in Week 1 and then bounce back to win the Super Bowl. The Patriots lost to the Bills 31-0 in Week 1 back in 2003, but bounced back to go 14-1 over their final 15 games before winning Super Bowl XXXVIII.

Also, the Rams don't play their starters in the preseason, which has led to some ugly Week 1 performances. Over the past five years, they've averaged just 16.2 points per game in the opening week of the season, and they've only topped the 20-point mark one time.

Basically, now is not the time to panic about the Rams, but if they open the season with a 1-4 record, it might be time to start panicking. A 1-4 start might sound unlikely, but it's not impossible; their next four games are:  Giants , at  Broncos , at  Eagles,  and Bills.

On the bright side, the return of  Aaron Donald  should give the Rams a huge boost, and that will be coming soon.

Verdict: Overreaction.

4. Myles Garrett is going to be a bust

Garrett's first game with the Rams was a total dud . The Rams gave up a lot to get him in a trade with the Browns back in June, and things aren't looking so promising after one week. He finished the game with zero tackles, zero sacks and zero quarterback hits, marking just the fourth time in his career that he's been held to that stat line. For a guy who recorded and NFL single-season record 23 sacks last year, his performance fell WAY below expectations.

The silver lining for the Rams is that Garrett didn't practice very much in training camp due to a knee injury, so he's still trying to get his football legs under him. Once he's fully healthy, he should return to dominance, but you could also spin that as a concern the Rams by asking: What if he's never fully healthy?

As I mentioned earlier, the Rams will also get a boost when Donald returns to the lineup, and when that happens, it will be hugely beneficial to Garrett because opposing offenses will have to prioritize stopping one of them, which should make life much easier for the other guy. Basically, this was a bad game by Garrett, but the Rams shouldn't be worried about anything just yet.

Verdict: Overreaction.

5. Mike Evans is a difference-maker in San Francisco

When Evans suffered an injury in training camp, it felt like he might be dealing with injuries all year, but so far that doesn't look like it's going to be the case. The 49ers paid a lot of money to add Evans this offseason and their faith in the 33-year-old future Hall of Famer absolutely paid off. In his first game with the 49ers, Evans caught six passes for 49 yards and a touchdown. You know what, let's watch his touchdown.

> Mike Evans said MINE 🏈 SFvsLAR on Netflix pic.twitter.com/XONVPkC08v — NFL (@NFL) September 11, 2026

Of his six catches, four of them went for first downs.

At 6-foot-5, Evans gives Brock Purdy a big, athletic target that he's never really had at receiver. Evans did miss a few practices in training camp, but that didn't hurt his chemistry with Purdy. The QB went 6 of 7 while targeting Evans and it's starting to feel like the ageless receiver could be a star for the 49ers this year.

Verdict: Reality.

6. 49ers pass-rush is back

The 49ers had the worst pass-rush in the NFL last year. During the 2025 season, Myles Garrett had more sacks by himself (23) than San Francisco had as a team (20). The 49ers' total ranked dead last in the NFL, making improving the pass rush a top priority for them heading into 2026.

The 49ers sacked Matthew Stafford only once in Australia, but the Rams' QB was under constant pressure. A big reason the 49ers were so successful at getting after Stafford is that Nick Bosa and Fred Warner are finally healthy. Bosa missed 14 games last season with a torn ACL while Warner missed 11 games with a broken ankle.

When you throw in the return of Dre Greenlaw , the 49ers defense suddenly looks very formidable. It also helps that the 49ers hired Raheem Morris as their defensive coordinator. He's one of the smartest defensive minds in the game and he proved that in Melbourne by shutting down McVay's offense.

If the 49ers can stay healthy -- and that's a big if with this team -- their pass-rush will be massively better than it was last season.

Verdict: Reality (if they can stay healthy)

7. Matthew Stafford is going to take a step back

The Rams do have a super team, but when it comes down to it, their season will likely hinge on how well Stafford plays. Yes, the's the reigning MVP, but he's also 38 years old.

Stafford struggled against the 49ers, going just 15 of 25 for 155 yards and one interception. Last year, Stafford led the NFL in passing yards (4,707) and passing touchdowns (46) on his way to his first career MVP award. Even if he plays well this season, and he probably will, it's hard to see him matching those numbers, so it seems like a year where he's going to take a step back, it's just a matter of how big that step is going to be. If it's a big step back, the Rams could be in trouble, and they'll have a tough time winning the division. If it's a small step back, the Rams will be fine, they just won't be blowing everyone out.

Verdict: Reality (Stafford probably takes a small step back)

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/49ers-rams-overreactions-nfc-west/)._