The San Francisco 49ers are one of the few teams in the NFL this season that will be kicking off before the September 13 slate.
In the NFL’s first-ever game in Melbourne, Australia, the 49ers are set to take on the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday, September 10 at 8:35 p.m. EST. (U.S. time).
Over in Australia, the game is technically being played on Friday morning. This past week, the 49ers traveled over to Melbourne and basically time-traveled forward one.
Because of the date line phenomenon, the 49ers lost the date of September 3rd, which happened to be defensive coordinator Raheem Morris’s birthday.
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49ers’ Raheem Morris Completely Lost His 50th Birthday
On September 3rd, 49ers defensive coordinator (and former Atlanta Falcons head coach) Raheem Morris turned 50 years old.
However, the bizarre twist is that because the Niners traveled to Melbourne, he technically did not get to celebrate on 9/3.
Here is ESPN Insider Adam Schefter’s explanation of it, which is certainly better than mine:
“49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris turned 50 years old Thursday, Sept. 3. It also happened to be the day the 49ers flew to Australia, leaving Wednesday night Sept. 2 and arriving Friday morning Sept. 4, local time. The 49ers lost a day, but Morris lost his 50th birthday.”
The caption of the above post reads:
“49ers DC Raheem Morris “lost” his 50th birthday on the way to Australia”
“The 49ers left San Francisco on Sept. 2, flew west across the international date line, and landed in Australia the morning of Sept. 4, essentially “skipping” Thursday, Sept. 3”
You almost have to feel for Raheem, because your 50th birthday is supposed to be a big day, and one can hope that he and the 49ers coaching staff spent either Sept. 2nd or 4th celebrating their defensive coordinator.
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More on 49ers’ DC Raheem Morris
The San Francisco 49ers hired Raheem Morris as their new DC this offseason.
He previously coached for the Atlanta Falcons as their head man, but was fired following the 2025 season.
Morris went 16-18 as an NFL head coach, but is still widely regarded as a defensive-minded coach, especially after he played a vital role in the Los Angeles Rams’ recent Super Bowl victory.
Raheem Morris provides the 49ers with a versatile defensive mindset, strong communication skills, and experience working with elite talent. His familiarity with Kyle Shanahan also should help San Francisco establish continuity while bringing a fresh perspective to the defense.
49ers Coach Raheem Morris’ Bizarre 50th Birthday Story Has an Unexpected Twist