The San Francisco 49ers had a strong start to their season, blowing out division rival, the Los Angeles Rams, 27-7 in front of a massive crowd in Australia for an NFL International Series game. Both teams took the long flight to Melbourne, Australia, which can take up to 16 hours from Los Angeles. However, the 49ers touched down in Australia nearly a week before the game.
On the opposing side, the Rams arrived just over a day ahead of kickoff. Some questioned whether that decision impacted the Rams' performance in their opener, as they looked far from the team heavily favored to win the Super Bowl this season. During his postgame remarks, brand-new 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans questioned the Rams' travel plans.
"When did they get out here?" Evans asked, drawing a laugh from others in the room, before asking, "When did they get out here, seriously?" More news: Fred Warner Makes Bold Statement About Brock Purdy After 49ers Beat Rams Someone off camera told Evans the Rams arrived "25 hours ago," prompting him to react to that decision by their division rival. "I mean, you've gotta give your body time to adjust," Evans said, adding, "Obviously, whenever the game's scheduled, you gotta be ready to play, but maybe a few days earlier would've been ideal." "But you know, no matter what, we don't care if they came a week or two weeks earlier. ... We had it on our mind to come out here and execute, and we did that," he told reporters.
After spending the majority of his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Evans joined the 49ers this offseason as a big addition to their receiving corps, adding another talented player that Brock Purdy could pass to. Both players factored in significantly in their season-opening win. Purdy threw for 205 yards and three touchdowns, including one to Evans for the first of his 49ers season.
Evans finished with six receptions for 49 yards. Teammate Demarcus Robinson had 50 yards and a touchdown, while Deebo Samuel also scored a touchdown and finished with 48 yards. Meanwhile, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford struggled, completing 15 of 25 passes for 155 yards, one interception, and no touchdown passes.
The Rams finished with just 290 yards of offense and just one touchdown, courtesy of running back Kyren Williams. Based on Evans' and the 49ers' performance in Australia on Thursday, one could easily suggest that the Rams had major jet lag and weren't acclimated to being in a different country and time zone like their opponents were. However, Rams head coach Sean McVay said he didn't regret their travel decision nor believe that was why they "didn't play well enough" in their opener.
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