MELBOURNE, Australia — After months of buildup — and nearly 8,000 miles traveled one-way — the Super Bowl-favorite Rams will open the season against the San Francisco 49ers.
As many as 100,000 fans are expected at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday for the first NFL game in Australia.
It is the first showcase for a Rams organization that once again has gone all-in to play in Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium in February.
A team that lost to the Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks in last season’s NFC championship game enjoyed a blockbuster offseason, trading for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, signing cornerback Jaylen Watson and trading for edge rusher Myles Garrett, a two-time NFL defensive player of the year.
Garrett’s goals are modest — by his standard.
“Super Bowl. Win DPOY again, obviously,” he told reporters in Los Angeles on Tuesday. “I think those are the two main things on my mind.”
The Rams and coach Sean McVay also welcomed the return of defensive lineman Aaron Donald. But the three-time NFL defensive player of the year, who retired after the 2023 season, did not make the trip for the opener as he continues to work toward optimal playing shape.
Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers coach, told reporters earlier this week that he definitely expected Donald to play.
How did he react to news that Donald was not making the trip?
“I’ve never been more excited to be wrong about something,” he said.
Every game pitting McVay against friend/mentor/nemesis Shanahan is full of subplots.
But this matchup ranks as among the most intriguing.
In February 2025, the NFL announced the Rams would be the home team for a game in Australia that further expanded the league’s global footprint. The NFL did not allow the Rams to choose their opponent, but as it does for International Series games, it gave them the opportunity to protect two home games that would not be moved from SoFi Stadium.
The Rams’ annual game against the 49ers has historically been something of a takeover by 49ers fans, initially at the Coliseum and since 2020 at SoFi Stadium.
Last February, the NFL announced the 49ers as the opponent.
Shanahan, whose team also must travel to play a game in Mexico this season, was not shy about voicing his displeasure.
The 49ers arrived here last week, and based on Shanahan’s comments a few days before the game, his feelings about the Rams and the situation have not mellowed.
“I see it as one home game a year in L.A,” Shanahan told reporters. “Just the way our fans are and take over that stadium.
“So, it was disappointing to let them off the hook and get them out of that. But, I have a feeling knowing how our fans roll, I have a feeling they won’t be much different here.
“I expect to have a good showing. After being here for a couple days, this is the right time to be here, it’s the right place to be and it’s the right team to go against.”
The Rams, taking a page from the travel playbook they used last season when they journeyed from Baltimore to London the day before they routed the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium, departed Los Angeles on Tuesday night and arrived Thursday morning.
The Rams will have a light workout and media availability on Thursday afternoon, and then play a game that kicks off Friday at 10:30 a.m. local time, which in Los Angeles will be Thursday at 5:30 p.m. PDT.
“I’m just so excited about this 16-hour flight,” McVay told reporters, tongue firmly in cheek, on Tuesday in Los Angeles. “Our players trust the plan that we’ve put in place for them … and then try to go be at our best when we kick off at 10:35 [a.m.] or whatever time it is that we’re kicking off in Australia, but 5:35 [p.m.] on Thursday in our head.”
The 49ers feature quarterback Brock Purdy, running back Christian McCaffrey, receivers Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel and tackle Trent Williams on offense. Tight end George Kittle, who sustained a torn right Achilles tendon last season, is expected to play.
Linebacker Fred Warner and end Nick Bosa lead a defense coordinated by Raheem Morris, the Rams’ former defensive coordinator who is also one of McVay’s closest friends.
The Rams will leave Melbourne for Los Angeles immediately after the game.
They aim to return the same way they arrived: As Super Bowl favorites.
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