49ers Stun Rams 27-7 in Historic First-Ever NFL Game Down Under
The NFL made history Thursday night, or Friday morning, depending which side of the international date line you were standing on, as the 49ers thumped the Rams 27-7 at Melbourne's iconic Cricket Ground in the league's first-ever regular season game played in Australia.
The setting stole as much of the spotlight as the football. More than 100,000 fans packed the historic MCG, a venue built for cricket and Aussie rules football, to watch American football for the first time, with lines forming outside gates hours before kickoff and local "superfans" turning out in full Niners and Rams gear. For a league eager to prove its export potential, a sold-out cricket ground on the other side of the planet was as much the story as the final score.
49ers Out Play the Rams
On the field, it wasn't close. Quarterback Brock Purdy was in complete control, going 25-of-34 for 205 yards and three touchdowns, spreading the ball to Deebo Samuel and prized free-agent addition Mike Evans, who each hauled in scoring passes. San Francisco's defense was just as dominant, led by linebacker Fred Warner, playing his first game back from injury, who piled up 11 tackles, forced a fumble, and defended a pass.
Los Angeles never found its footing. Quarterback Matthew Stafford looked out of sync all night, missing throws he'd normally make in his sleep, and prized offseason addition Myles Garrett, fresh off a dominant 2025 season in Cleveland, was a non-factor in his Rams debut, finishing without a tackle or a quarterback hit.
Much of the difference came down to preparation for the 16-hour time change. San Francisco flew to Australia more than a week early to acclimate, while the Rams arrived just a day before kickoff — a gap that showed up on the scoreboard as Los Angeles ran out of gas.
The trip wasn't without cost for San Francisco. First-round rookie De'Zhaun Stribling went down with a non-contact injury in the first half, and tight end Jake Tonges had to be carted off, adding to an injury list that already included the season-long loss of receiver Ricky Pearsall.
Both teams now face a long flight home before turning to Week 2, but for the NFL, the night in Melbourne was a win regardless of the score. A packed house, a full-throttle atmosphere, and a first-of-its-kind broadcast that the league will point to as it keeps pushing its international game slate further from home.