Rams finally join 49ers for Australia’s first NFL game and Myles Garrett’s LA debut
- On Thursday, the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams open the NFL season at the Melbourne Cricket Ground before more than 100,000 fans, marking Australia's first-ever NFL game.
- Head coach Sean McVay kept the Rams on California time, arriving Thursday roughly 28 hours before kickoff to combat jet lag; the 49ers arrived over a week ago adjusting traditionally.
- Defensive end Myles Garrett makes his Rams debut alongside cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, facing 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, who led the league with 413 scrimmage touches last season.
- 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan dismissed travel concerns, stating, "the real thing that's going to win this game is who plays better football," emphasizing execution over logistics.
- Oddsmakers favor the Rams by 3 1/2 points for this season-opening clash, as star quarterback Matthew Stafford needs two touchdown passes to tie Philip Rivers' 425 career total.
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Rams finally join 49ers for Australia’s first NFL game and Myles Garrett’s LA debut - Regional Media News
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - The longest road trip in NFL history has brought the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams to Australia's sports capital for a season opener in front of more than 100,000 football-hungry fans packed into the Southern Hemisphere's largest stadium. [...]
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Rams finally join 49ers for Australia’s first NFL game and Myles Garrett’s LA debut
The longest road trip in NFL history has brought the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams to Australia’s sports capital for a season opener in front of more than 100,000 football-hungry fans packed into the Southern Hemisphere’s largest stadium. These NFC West rivals are playing Australia’s first NFL game, and the starkly differing ways in which they approached this challenge have attracted almost as much attention as the two star-studde…
Rams finally join 49ers for Australia's first NFL game and Myles Garrett's LA debut
The longest road trip in NFL history has brought the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams to Australia’s sports capital for a season opener in front of more than 100,000 football-hungry fans packed into the Southern Hemisphere’s largest stadium
Rams settling in after longest road trip in NFL history
Signage is seen outside of the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on September 9, 2026. The first-ever regular-season NFL game in Australia takes place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 11, 2026, featuring the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams. (Photo by Martin KEEP / AFP via Getty Images)
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