49ers rout jet-lagged Rams in NFL’s first Australia game
San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy (#13) left, with a pass against the Los Angeles Rams during the NFL season opener in Melbourne, Australia, on Thurday, September 10, 2026. Scott Strazzante/S.F. Chronicle
09.10.2026 –Melbourne, Australia — The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Los Angeles Rams in convincing fashion in their season-opener Friday afternoon (Thursday night in the United States), 27-7, at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The 49ers enjoyed every moment of their weeklong Australian adventure. They gradually adjusted their body clocks, enjoyed Melbourne’s sights and tastes — and then they dominated a division rival in the NFL’s first regular-season game Down Under.
After arriving in Australia a week before kickoff, the Niners looked far more energized than the Super Bowl favorite Rams, who touched down just more than 24 hours before the game and appeared visibly exhausted. Last year’s NFL MVP, Matthew Stafford, looked helpless against a disruptive 49ers defense, while Brock Purdy diced up the opposition that was littered with big-time offseason acquisitions.
Here are takeaways from the 49ers’ commanding first win, in front of an announced crowd of 100,021.
Purdy dominates — without two key weapons
Against a Rams defense that added defensive end Myles Garrett and cornerback Trent McDuffie, the 49ers had little trouble. They converted seven of 12 third downs and totaled 379 yards of offense. The ground game in particular was impressive, where San Francisco averaged 5.8 yards per attempt.
2026.09.10 – (SF 49ers vs LA Rams) NFL Game Highlights
San Francisco 49ers RB Christians McCaffrey (#23) left, running by the Los Angeles Rams defense during the NFL season opener in Melbourne, Australia, on Thurday, September 10, 2026. Scott Strazzante/S.F. Chronicle
2026.09.10 – (SF 49ers vs LA Rams) NFL Game Highlights
2026.09.10 – SF 49ers vs LA Rams – (NBC Sports Post Game)
San Francisco 49ers WR Demarcus Robinson (#11) right, catched a pass from 49ers QB Brock Purdy against the Los Angeles Rams during the NFL season opener in Melbourne, Australia, on Thurday, September 10, 2026. Scott Strazzante/S.F. Chronicle
2026.09.10 – SF 49ers vs LA Rams – (NBC Sports Post Game)
2026.09.10 – SF 49ers vs LA Rams – (NBC Sports Post Game)
Purdy took a minute to get adjusted to the brisk Australian morning air, throwing an ugly interception to Quentin Lake. The Rams safety parked below George Kittle’s route toward the right sideline and easily snagged the ball. But Purdy recovered and then some, finishing 25-for-34 with 205 yards and three touchdowns.
“I think Brock played so well. He had one play I know he wants to take back. The 99-yard drive, there were so many plays there he had to take off schedule and would move the chain with his legs,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Brock was unbelievable today.”
The 49ers’ quarterback did this all without two key weapons in wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling and tight end Jake Tonges, who both exited with injuries — and essentially without Kittle, who’s still getting back up to game speed following a torn Achilles. He caught just two balls for 12 yards.
The jump-ball king arrives
One of San Francisco’s newest receivers flashed, too. Mike Evans, who signed a three-year deal with the 49ers in the offseason, dominated the Rams’ secondary in his first NFL game not wearing a Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniform. The 33-year-old offers Purdy a type of receiver he’s never had — a true X, jump-ball king who can bail his quarterback out of sticky situations.
2026.09.10 – SF 49ers vs LA Rams – (Chat Sports Post Game)
San Francisco 49ers RB Kaelon Black (#26) center, running thru the Los Angeles Rams defense during the NFL season opener in Melbourne, Australia, on Thurday, September 10, 2026. Scott Strazzante/S.F. Chronicle
2026.09.10 – SF 49ers vs LA Rams – (Chat Sports Post Game)
2026.09.10 – SF 49ers vs LA Rams – (Chat Sports Post Game)
Take Evans’ first touchdown as a 49er as proof. With San Francisco on the Rams’ 2-yard line, Purdy simply tossed the ball up to the 6-foot-5 future Hall of Famer in the left corner of the end zone, where he climbed the ladder on the Rams’ Jaylen Watson and hauled it in with ease. Evans finished with six catches, 49 yards and the touchdown.
“Brock threw a great ball. We got the coverage we wanted,” Evans said, “and we actually repped that a lot the last couple weeks, so I was happy that paid off.”
“He’s a jump-ball extraordinaire,” tackle Trent Williams said. “Those 50/50 balls not really 50/50.”
The 49ers also received timely contributions from veteran receivers Deebo Samuel and Demarcus Robinson, who each caught a touchdown while combining for eight catches and 98 yards.
CMC gets a legit running mate
The ground game in particular was impressive, as San Francisco averaged 5.9 yards per attempt. Rookie running back Kaelon Black added some zip to San Francisco’s offense — and, as an added bonus, took much of the load off of 30-year-old Christian McCaffrey — rushing for 65 yards on 14 attempts. McCaffrey still featured in the offense, touching the ball 15 times, but his services weren’t as needed once San Francisco went up 17 points in the third quarter.
2026.09.10 – SF 49ers vs LA Rams – (Krueger & Crew Post Game)
San Francisco 49ers Fred Warner (#54) right, tackling RB Corum (#24) from the Los Angeles Rams during the NFL season opener in Melbourne, Australia, on Thurday, September 10, 2026. Scott Strazzante/S.F. Chronicle
2026.09.10 – SF 49ers vs LA Rams – (Krueger & Crew Post Game)
2026.09.10 – SF 49ers vs LA Rams – (Krueger & Crew Post Game)
McCaffrey said Black is an “awesome back. I said this earlier, but he’s a force, and he’s someone that’s gonna help our team a whole lot. It was really cool to see him go out there and just do what he does.”
“I thought they both ran really hard and really well,” Shanahan said. “I’ll see on the plane exactly how good it was, but it felt like it out there. That was the goal for us coming into this, trying to balance it out more, whether it was with Kaelon or getting Deebo some carries.”
Added offensive lineman Colton McKivitz on Black: “He’s great. Everyone’s been seeing it in camp. That guy runs as hard as heck.”
The defense is … good?
The Rams’ jet lag appeared most obvious on the offensive side of the ball. Consistent mental mistakes allowed the 49ers to expose them. Stafford, 38, looked far more his age after winning the battle against Father Time a season ago. His decision-making ability wasn’t there, which allowed San Francisco’s defensive line to create a decent amount of pressure.
2026.09.10 – SF 49ers vs LA Rams – (QB Analysis)
2026.09.10 – SF 49ers vs LA Rams – (QB Analysis)
Seven quarterback hits and two tackles-for-loss isn’t bad for a defensive line that scared 49ers fans entering the season. Even with all the injuries to that group — Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins and Sam Okuayinonu among them — the 49ers essentially added two players to the unit over the offseason: defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa from the Dallas Cowboys and … Nick Bosa, who returned to action for the first time in nearly a year from a torn right ACL.
Both players looked excellent. Bosa collected two tackles for loss. Odighizuwa racked up four QB hits. Another star returning from injury, Fred Warner, appeared to be in good health, poking the ball free from Rams tight end Tyler Higbee early in the fourth to force a fumble. In the secondary, players flew around. Cornerback Renardo Green earned an interception and a pass deflection, while Jack Jones collected two PDs of his own.
Stafford, who finished 15-for-25 with 155 passing yards and one interception, had been held under 10 points in just one of his previous 84 starts. The last time came in 2022, also against the 49ers.
Up next (49ers Roster)
49ers: Host Miami on Sunday, Sept. 20.
Rams: Host the New York Giants on Monday, Sept. 21.
Related: 49ers’ offense fizzles against Seahawks in a 13-3 defeat
Related: See below – 49ers rally to beat Lions and secure Super Bowl trip
Read more at: San Francisco 49ers Media Services / More AP NFL
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
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