Sports media world reacts to Rams’ travel plan after blowout loss to 49ers in Australia
· Yahoo Sports
The Los Angeles Rams won the offseason — Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie, oh my! — but they lost their first game of the 2026 NFL regular season.
Bill Plaschke’s undefeated season prediction went up in smoke when the San Francisco 49ers blew out the Rams, 27-7, in the NFL’s first-ever game in Melbourne, Australia, on Thursday night.
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Don’t let the final score deceive you. It was uglier than that. Matthew Stafford, the reigning NFL MVP, threw helium balls, and Garrett, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, was quite literally invisible. The Rams as a whole looked lifeless and, well, jet-lagged.
The 49ers traveled to Melbourne last week, while the Rams decided to wait until Tuesday and landed merely 28 hours before kickoff.
Sleep tight pic.twitter.com/aQEIvkCUyh
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) September 11, 2026
Peter Schrager discussed the differing strategies on his premiere Big Day episode on ESPN:
Rams are in and out.
WHAM BAM THANK YOU, RAM.
Some info and thoughts ahead of tonight’s Netflix Australia deal.
From today’s @BigDayESPN premier. pic.twitter.com/RlHFBA37C8— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) September 10, 2026
Schrager separately posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday morning:
“The Rams are all in for the night,”
It’s 9:45 PM in Melbourne. They slept on the flight over and will sleep now in the hotel for one night and they’ll wake up and play a football game in 12 hours.
“This isn’t some trial and error approach. They’ve sent 15 staffers over last 2 years and have tracked their bodies and sleep rhythms. This was deemed the approach. No turning back now.”
To be fair, it’s not unusual whatsoever for Kyle Shanahan-led 49ers to pants the Sean McVay-led Rams. After the game, McVay said, “Whether you want to say it’s about travel, whatever, we just weren’t good enough.” Shanahan similarly downplayed the significance, saying, “I like how we prepared, but more importantly, I liked how we played.”
But I’m sorry, what did you say? Fifteen staffers over two years? What fun is analyzing legitimate football Xs-and-Os when a silly (and much funnier) narrative exists?
Los Angeles will get a second crack at San Francisco in San Francisco on Dec. 13, and the Rams may very well still torment the NFL as predicted this season. But in the meantime, voices across sports media indulged the opportunity to dunk on the preseason Super Bowl favorites. Check it out below:
Imagine being the Rams staffers who were shipped back and forth like postcards for two years just so the team could sleepwalk through Game 1 https://t.co/QlPfpCdACU
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) September 11, 2026
I did a direct flight from LAX to Paris and it felt like I fell into a black hole.
Add four more hours on top of that. I still just don’t understand the Rams plan.
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) September 11, 2026
The Rams look like they took a flight to Australia 36 hours ago
— JJ Zachariason (@LateRoundQB) September 11, 2026
Rams out there relying on an Oura ring https://t.co/sRS4cmPKhE
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 11, 2026
rams didn’t even get to stay long enough to go sightseeing. flew over, got the belt, and now gotta fly back. whew.
— Kyron Samuels (@kyronsamuels) September 11, 2026
I know the Rams put a ton of time & money into their decision to fly in the day before the game. I still don’t think you can convince me this isn’t the football gods’ response to extreme hubris.
— Dave Helman (@davehelman_) September 11, 2026
maybe it’s just me but the Rams look like a football team that took a 9,000-mile, 16-hour flight within the last 48 hours
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) September 11, 2026
What time do the Rams arrive in Australia?
— Cousin Sal (@TheCousinSal) September 11, 2026
where the Rams actually sent those 15 staffers https://t.co/4jAHRlClX3pic.twitter.com/6H0nj29HYt
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) September 11, 2026
Rams thought they could take a 16 hour flight a day before the game vs the 49ers and think it was gonna be a breeze just like when they beat the Jaguars lol in London . Healthy 49ers team ain’t the Jags lol.
— Chris Williamson (@CWilliamson44) September 11, 2026
Jet lag hearing the Rams boast about their travel plans pic.twitter.com/iXrx5Vv0Ev
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) September 11, 2026
If you thought two 16-hour flights back to back were bad, just imagine that second flight coming after getting obliterated. Rough for the Rams
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) September 11, 2026
I’m not a sleep expert. I did not send anyone to experiment with a quick round trip to Australia to trick their bodies out of jet lag.
BUT… I’m kind of thinking the #Niners travel plan was better than the #Rams one.
— Aaron Levine (@AaronLevine_) September 11, 2026
the international date line hearing about the Rams’ travel plans pic.twitter.com/3fPWkevCgW
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) September 11, 2026
Rams flew 11 hours the day before last year and beat the hell out jags. This time they flew 16 hours and are getting smashed by the niners. Possible that San Fran just a better team at this stage than the super team
— Booger (@ESPNBooger) September 11, 2026
Rams’ 20-point loss is worse than any they had last year.
This offensive performance was worse than any they had last year (EPA per drive).
And Matthew Stafford’s individual performance was worse than any he had last year (EPA per pass play).
The Jet Lag Game!
— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) September 11, 2026
Sure, the Rams could have trusted the well-documented already-existing research related to jet lag.
Instead they went with a sample of just 15 staffers who would not be attempting to play football against other NFL players as their guide. https://t.co/KhBp28gomS
— Travis May (@FF_TravisM) September 11, 2026
The 49ers arrived in Australia nearly a week early, allowing their bodies to adjust to local time.
The Rams flew in Thursday morning, looking to avoid jet lag by staying home on California time longer.
The 49ers blew out the Rams, 27-7. pic.twitter.com/tuHrtTf10b
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) September 11, 2026
ngl, that’s a bad loss. try to pull the mission: impossible, get banged, mind you, that was a Rams home game in terms of the ledger as we know, and division game? nothing worked. argue with your customs agent
— Clinton Yates (@clintonyates) September 11, 2026
If the Rams lose this game, reporters will ask if players were feeling any impact from a 15-hour (private jet) flight they were just on less than 30 hours ago.
They’ll all say no as they DREAD getting back on the plane to fly back. Lol
— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) September 11, 2026
How the Rams playing against the Niners in Melbourne pic.twitter.com/6vkd4CD9w9
— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) September 11, 2026
Technically it’s tomorrow
— Matt Verderame (@MattVerderame) September 11, 2026
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