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The Los Angeles Rams went down under, and the San Francisco 49ers kept them there.
In what was the first-ever NFL game in Australia, the 49ers defeated the Rams 27-7, and Sean McVay was curt about what transpired in the season opener.
“They outplayed us in every facet. I didn’t do nearly a good enough job. This is a humbling day for us,” McVay said in his postgame press conference. “This will define us only if we allow it to. Today was one of those days. I always look inside out. I didn’t do a good enough job getting us ready to go. There were some opportunities where maybe the game could’ve flipped, but they deserved the win. They were ready to go.
“We’ll look at it. We’ll see where we can improve and be better moving forward.”
As FOX Sports’ Eric Williams covered heading into the matchup, the two teams had strikingly different approaches in the lead-up to the Australia showdown, as the 49ers showed up in Melbourne — the site of the game — roughly one week before kickoff, whereas the Rams arrived roughly 28 hours beforehand.
Los Angeles got out to a 7-3 lead, with safety Quentin Lake intercepting San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy with 12:04 remaining in the second quarter. But it was all downhill for the Rams, thereafter.
Six plays after the aforementioned 49ers turnover, Rams quarterback and 2025 NFL MVP Matthew Stafford — who finished with a mere 61.2 passer rating — was intercepted by cornerback Renardo Green with 8:52 remaining in the first half. Nine plays later, the 49ers reached the end zone and would go on to finish the game on a 24-0 run.
San Francisco outgained Los Angeles in total yards, 379-290, and pulled off a pivotal, goal-line stand from the 1-yard line with 3:41 remaining in the third quarter. The 49ers then put together a 99-yard touchdown drive. Purdy threw for three touchdowns, finished with a 105.6 passer rating and completed 73.5% of his passes (25 of 34), while San Francisco rushed for 174 yards on 5.8 yards per carry.
The seven points are the fewest the Rams have scored since losing on the road to the Green Bay Packers 20-3 on Nov. 5, 2023.
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As for the Rams’ shiny new additions, cornerback and 2023 All-Pro Trent McDuffie recorded four combined tackles, one for a loss, and two passes defended, but superstar defensive end Myles Garrett didn’t record a tackle; star defensive lineman and eight-time All-Pro Aaron Donald, who recently came out of retirement after two years away from the sport, is expected to make his season debut in Week 2.
Next up for the Rams is a home game against the New York Giants on Sept. 21, while the 49ers host the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 20.
