The Los Angeles Rams lobbied the NFL to play the San Francisco 49ers in Australia and paid for it instantly. A 20-point blowout, star acquisition Myles Garrett benched in the second half, and a statement 1-0 start for the 49ers. Be careful what you wish for.
Robin Alam - The Sporting Tribune
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay looks on during NFC Championship Game against the Seattle Seahawks, on Sunday January 25, 2026 in Seattle, Washington.
Sean McVay had no answers. Suffering his first double-digit defeat in two years, 27-7, the Rams head coach summed up the Melbourne nightmare in three words: “A humbling day.”
The game flipped on one goal-line gamble. Down 17-7, McVay passed on a short field goal and called a 4th-and-1 QB sneak. The 49ers’ wall held, took the ball, and marched 99 yards for a knockout touchdown.
Matthew Stafford rarely gets neutralized like this. It was just the second time in his last 85 starts that Stafford failed to score double digits. Both times, it was the 49ers applying the clamps.
“First of all, congratulations to the 49ers,” McVay said. “They outplayed us in every facet. I didn’t do nearly a good enough job. This is a humbling day for us. This will define us only if we allow it to, and 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 deserve the win. They were ready to go. We’ll look at it, we’ll see where we can improve and be better moving forward. This is a good, humbling day.
“Sometimes sports can humble you and today was one of those days,” he continued. “I make no excuses.”
#Rams HC Sean McVay called the loss to the 49ers a “humbling day.”
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 11, 2026
His full opening remarks: pic.twitter.com/kARnaoMp7Y https://t.co/TA1JlR0ovc
Instead of taking three easy points to cut the lead to seven, McVay rolled the dice on 4th-and-goal inside the 1. The 49ers stuffed Stafford cold with 3:41 left in the third, seizing total control.
The Rams' locker room was left searching for answers. “We got beat in all three phases,” Myles Garrett said. Defensive tackle Kobie Turner tried to project calm: “Setbacks are setups for greater comebacks.”
Stafford spent the final drive on the sideline watching backup Stetson Bennett close out garbage time. Stafford’s final line: a dismal 15-of-25 for 155 yards and zero answers.
The win for the 49ers came at a heavy price
Highly anticipated San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling suffered a non-contact ankle injury and couldn't put weight on his leg, raising immediate fears of an Achilles tear. Meanwhile, George Kittle returned in eight months from his own Achilles surgery, but clearly wasn't at 100 percent.
The 49ers head home across the Pacific with a 1-0 divisional record and an unmistakable statement on the scoreboard.
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