The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams had different travel plans for their Week 1 game in Australia, a roughly 15-hour flight for both teams. In the Niners’ case, they went to Melbourne about a week before the game to adjust to the time zone.
Meanwhile, the Rams had the opposite approach. Los Angeles flew out at night on Sept. 8 to Australia and landed about 24 hours before the game against the 49ers. Nonetheless, that approach didn’t work, as the Rams fell 27-7 in Week 1 to the 49ers.
Although the Rams can point to other reasons for the loss, 49ers wideout Mike Evans didn’t hold back, noting that their performance on Sept. 10 was partly due to their travel plan. Evans said the body needs more time than the Rams decided was the best course of action.
“Oh, they got here yesterday; Oh, dang, 25 hours,” Evans said postgame when learning about the Rams’ travel decision (h/t 95.7 The Game). “You got to give your body time to adjust. Obviously, whenever the game’s scheduled, you’ve got to be ready to play.
“Maybe a few days earlier would have been ideal, but no matter what, we don’t care if they came a week or two weeks earlier. We had it on our mind to come out here and execute, and we did that.”
Rams Called Out Over Travel Plan Decision After Loss to 49ers
Evans wasn’t alone in questioning the Rams’ travel decision. CBS Sports’ Damien Harris also noted that Los Angeles showed signs of a team that arrived in a city about 24 hours earlier after a 15-hour flight.
“The Rams look tired,” Harris said on the Sept. 10 edition of “CBS Sports HQ.” “They looked gassed. They looked like they weren’t sure about the environment that they were in. [Matthew] Stafford looked confused. We didn’t see any player on this LA Rams roster look like how they looked last year and even a guy like Myles Garrett, who wasn’t in a Rams uniform last year, looked nothing like what we saw in his entire career.
“Yes, we’re going to start the conversation talking about the travel and all that, but there was so much more to unpack about this game. But it was very obvious this team looked very slow, very sluggish. It looked like there were no fresh legs on the football field, and from that perspective, it definitely seems like their decision on what they wanted to do with their travel plans did not pay off.”
George Kittle Gets Blunt About Brock Purdy’s Performance
Moreover, it was Brock Purdy’s time to shine in Australia as the 49ers’ QB went 25-for-34 on his pass attempts, leading to 205 passing yards, three touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 105.6.
Evans benefited from Purdy’s performance as the veteran wideout recorded six receptions on seven targets for 49 receiving yards and one touchdown. Niners tight end George Kittle was blunt about what he saw from Purdy in the win.
“Besides the one pass he threw into quadruple coverage to me, which I appreciate, Brock, keep throwing those; besides that, I mean, he was on all day, and then I think he really took control of the game,” Kittle told ESPN after the victory.
“He had that long scramble for a first down that kept us on the field for another touchdown. I mean, his confidence is soaring. I think he found his groove in Week 1. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
Mike Evans Doesn’t Hold Back on Rams Travel Plan After 49ers Win