If we all learned one thing from the NFL's first game in Australia, it's that the Los Angeles Rams might want to fire their travel agent. Despite a 17-hour time difference between Australia and California, the Rams decided to show up at the last minute for their game in Melbourne and that decision turned out to be a disaster. The Rams were dominated in the second half in a 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, a team that spent an entire week in Australia before the game, which kicked off at 10:35 a.m.
Everyone on the internet loves to overreact, and the Rams gave us plenty to discuss from the loss, including their travel schedule. With that in mind, let's go over some of the hottest takes from the game and decide if they're overreactions. Going into the start of the season, the 49ers were essentially an afterthought in the NFC West.
Heading into Week 1, the Rams were favored to win the division with the Seahawks right behind them. The 49ers were essentially viewed as the third-place team in the NFC West, at best. After only one week of action, the division has been completely turned upside down.
The 49ers didn't just beat the Rams, they absolutely embarrassed them. Even if this game had been played in Los Angeles, the 49ers were so much better that it feels like they would have won. Kyle Shanahan outsmarted Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula and Sean McVay's offense struggled to move the ball against San Francisco's defense.
It was only one game, but the 49ers certainly looked like a better team than the Rams. And let's not forget about the Seahawks. They just lost Sam Darnold to a hip injury and although he's not expected to be dealing with a long-term absence, he will likely end up missing a few games.
Based on what's happened over the past 48 hours, it doesn't seem too crazy to say that the 49ers can steal the NFC West title. The Rams apparently sent 15 employees to Australia multiple times over the past two years, and after doing so, they concluded that arriving in Melbourne just 28 hours before the game was the way to go. If you watched the game, you could tell early on that this was a horrible decision.
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