San Francisco 49ers come out on top over Los Angeles Rams in Australia

[p]Much of the pre-game talk had surrounded the two California-based teams' wildly different approaches for navigating the epic flight and 17-hour time zone difference to Melbourne and its iconic 100,000-capacity cricket stadium. The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/los-angeles-rams/z7hZioyR/"]Rams[/a] had jetted in just the morning before.[/p][p]How far that affected the game will be debated. But reigning MVP quarterback [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/stafford-matthew/vo7fkASl/"]Matthew Stafford[/a] and star off-season acquisition [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/garrett-myles/Uotj0KLS/"]Myles Garrett[/a] undoubtedly looked sluggish up against their [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/san-francisco-49ers/jBnfYoFr/"]San Francisco[/a] counterparts, who arrived a week earlier to acclimatize.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/purdy-brock/IVGCagGD/"]Purdy[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/football/los-angeles-rams-z7hZioyR/san-francisco-49ers-jBnfYoFr/?mid=OjpjFtdS"]put on a clinical performance[/a], shrugging off a poor early interception to find [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/robinson-demarcus/ELjs32U4/"]Demarcus Robinson[/a] with a 39-yard touchdown pass, before finding the dangerous [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/evans-mike/vav6O11p/"]Mike Evans[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/samuel-deebo/x4qHRFqO/"]Deebo Samuel[/a] Jr in the end zone to seize the game.[/p][p]"[b]Just so proud of this team. Hey, we embraced going to Australia - 15-hour flight, we're here the whole week. It was a grind, but we did it,[/b]" said 49ers tight end George Kittle.[/p][p]The Rams entered this new NFL season as the clear favorites to win a Super Bowl being held at their SoFi Stadium home in Los Angeles in February, with a formidable defense bolstered by Garrett.[/p][p]But the giant 100,021 crowd packing into the Melbourne Cricket Ground - the seventh-biggest ever for a regular-season NFL game, despite an unusual morning kickoff time to accommodate US television audiences - skewed toward San Francisco.[/p][p]"[b]I love when they (Rams) came out and they were booing. We was out here for a week. We enjoyed the city. I don't think you can fly 16 hours and be ready to play[/b]," 49ers receiver Samuel told Australia's Channel Seven.[/p][p]And the Niners started brightly, swiftly forcing a Rams punt and then driving to the red zone and taking an early field goal.[/p][p]The Rams briefly sparked to life with Matthew Stafford's 41-yard pass to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nacua-puka/UFBmFvle/"]Puka Nacua[/a].[/p][embed guid="a1cd22f3-593a-4f68-8162-a8dfb46c3e9c" url="https://x.com/NFL/status/2098251605128954040?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]At 2nd & goal, Stafford handed the ball to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/williams-kyren/61o0aI29/"]Kyren Williams[/a], and the running back sprinted through the heart of the Niners' defensive line for touchdown.[/p][p]Purdy then threw a poor pass that was easily intercepted by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lake-quentin/rDFre3An/"]Quentin Lake[/a], prompting the Rams defense to pull out a "jet lag" celebration, lying down and pretending to nap in the endzone.[/p][p]The Niners did not seem to appreciate the taunt. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/green-renardo/Ct19A6Tu/"]Renardo Green[/a] snaffled an interception off Stafford, and a long drive resulted in a Demarcus Robinson touchdown from a 39-yard Purdy sling.[/p][h2]'No excuses'[/h2][p]It meant San Francisco took a slender lead into halftime, as play paused for a Jonas Brothers concert on a game broadcast globally by Netflix.[/p][p]San Francisco immediately picked up where they left off, some powerful running by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mccaffrey-christian/UwUYi0lS/"]Christian McCaffrey[/a] taking them back to the red zone.[/p][p]Evans - the veteran receiver acquired from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tampa-bay-buccaneers/40on8pjK/"]Tampa Bay[/a] this summer, and a constant dangerous target in the first half - grabbed a short touchdown pass for 17-7.[/p][p]Another long pass to Nacua advanced the Rams, who reached 1st & goal, but they could not convert the critical chance and yielded a turnover on downs after a resolute 49ers goal-line stop.[/p][p]In the ensuing 99-yard San Francisco drive Samuel grabbed a third touchdown pass from Purdy, who paused and scrambled to his right before picking out his man for 27-7.[/p][p]With barely three minutes remaining, Stafford was strategically withdrawn by coach Sean McVay. The Rams' attention swiftly turned to the flight home.[/p][p]"[b]I make no excuses. Whether you want to say it's about travel, whatever. We just weren't good enough,[/b]" said McVay.[/p][p]"[b]I didn't coach good enough, and we'll look at it and we'll move forward.[/b]"[/p]