Rams say travel isn’t to blame for their Melbourne debacle. If so, that suggests bigger problems

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Before Sean McVay jumped on his second 15-hour flight in less than two days, he insisted the Los Angeles Rams ’ unorthodox travel plan for Australia wasn’t the reason his Super Bowl-contending team took a thrashing from the San Francisco 49ers in its season opener.

If the coach is right, that’s actually more dismaying and concerning than the other scenario.

That means the Rams were completely unprepared to face their most familiar foe. That means their high-priced, star-studded roster couldn’t execute, communicate or perform at a level to even keep it close with the Niners, a strong team still considered to be only third best in the NFC West.

That means McVay’s Rams (0-1), who never accomplish much in the preseason anyway, still have heaps of work to do following their 27-7 defeat Friday. It was the second-worst loss by a Super Bowl betting favorite to open a season and the Rams’ first loss in an international game under McVay.

“Sometimes sports can humble you, and today was one of those days,” McVay said. “I make no excuses. Whether you want to say it’s travel, whatever, we just weren’t good enough in that window. I didn’t coach good enough. We’ll get it. We’ll move forward.”

Los Angeles was embarrassed in front of 100,021 eager fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground who didn’t get to see the production expected from McVay’s offense, which led the NFL in scoring and yards per game last season. In fact, the Rams had never scored fewer points in any game started by Matthew Stafford over the past six years.

The Rams all refused to blame the travel schedule chosen by McVay, who clearly shares most coaches’ quiet disdain for the routine-disrupting international trips undertaken to expose football to lucrative new audiences.

“I don’t doubt the decision-making of my coach or my organization,” Myles Garrett said. “I think they did what was best for us. We didn’t execute on the field when we needed to.”

The larger sports world was not as charitable, with McVay and the Rams taking massive criticism in Australia and online for attempting to turn the longest road trip in NFL history into a shuttle flight. Several 49ers, including touchdown-scoring receivers Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel, said their team had been much smarter by arriving a week in advance.

But if the Rams are correct in saying the travel didn’t matter, they’re in a difficult spot — because McVay doesn’t lose season openers often, but when he does, they’re pretty bad.

The Rams are now 7-3 in openers under McVay, and this trouncing on an international stage joins their 31-10 home loss to Buffalo in 2022 to kick off the worst season by a defending champion in NFL history. Los Angeles also lost at Detroit in 2024 to begin McVay’s only 1-4 start to a season.

What’s working

The Rams’ running game worked better than it did for long stretches last season. Blake Corum rushed for 54 yards on just 10 carries, while Kyren Williams scored the first NFL touchdown in Australia.

What needs help

The Rams’ revamped defense was embarrassed by Kyle Shanahan, Brock Purdy and the San Francisco offense, which racked up 379 yards and put the game away with a 99-yard touchdown drive. The flaws were multifold, but coordinator Chris Shula’s unit wasn’t ready for an opponent that has done this to the Rams repeatedly for a decade.

Stock up

Big-money cornerback Trent McDuffie was as good as expected in his debut, making four tackles and two pass breakups while delivering the shutdown coverage expected. The apparent struggles of Quentin Lake and Kam Kinchens in coverage could make it wise to move McDuffie around the field more.

Stock down

Stafford was ineffective in the first game after his MVP season, going 15 of 25 for just 155 yards with an interception — and no touchdown passes in a regular-season game for the first time since 2024. San Francisco defensive coordinator Raheem Morris knows Stafford very well, and the 38-year-old quarterback admitted he didn’t meet the challenge.

Injuries

Garrett’s knee injury is more serious than he let on, and he still played 62% of the snaps after playing about 82% for Cleveland last year. Ten days of recovery should be helpful, but the Rams need their new superstar in top form. … S Kam Curl left early with an ankle injury. … TE Davis Allen was evaluated for a concussion.

Key number

42 — The number of consecutive games in which the Rams had scored at least 10 points before Melbourne.

Next steps

The Rams have ample time to recover before the New York Giants’ visit to Inglewood for a Monday night game on Sept. 21. A bounceback performance against a rebuilding opponent seems vital — and it could be the night when Aaron Donald returns.

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