When the Rams announced that they would take a vastly different approach and fly to Australia the day before they kick off the 2026 NFL season against the San Francisco 49ers, it left many puzzled as to why.
“The last time in London, they flew the day before, played the game, won the game, and flew right back home,” ESPN insider Adam Schefter said on “The Pat Mcafee Show” on Monday morning.
“So they are of the mind, they don’t need to adjust, and maybe you don’t do any adjusting. You just go in and play the game and come back.”
Last season, after the Rams beat the Ravens in week 6, they stayed in Baltimore for the week, practicing at Camden Yards. The team flew to London, on Friday, Oct. 17, to play the Jaguars and dominated the Jaguars 35-7 victory.
While the Rams are planning on heading out to Melbourne, the day before they play, the 49ers will leave a week before so that they can adjust to the 17-hour time difference and get acclimated to the area.
Rams general manager Les Snead appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” just before Schefter and supported the decision to fly the day before.
“This is a little bit how we travel east; we did it when we went to London last year,” Snead said. “I know Australia you go a different direction than when you go to London, but we’ve kind of done it this way before, so we’ll see if it works.”
Schefter said that both head coaches, Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay, have spoken to a lot of people but ultimately came away with different conclusions.
“The 49ers; I know they have spoken to a lot of scientists, nutritionists, and all kinds of people like that,” Schefter said. “And they believe the right formula is to go in a week in advance. We’ll see who’s right.”
It’s unknown what the right choice will be, but ultimately, if the Rams end up dropping the league’s second game of the season, they could face backlash as they’re viewed as the clear favorite to win the game.
On Sunday, the team received the news that three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner, Aaron Donald, would be coming out of retirement to join forces with the reigning winner of the award, Myles Garrett, a year after he set the league’s single-season sack record.
On top of trading for Garrett, the Rams added Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson to bolter a position that was thin a year ago.
Both teams were eliminated by the NFC West rival Seahawks in the playoffs.
The 49ers received good news over the last week as running back Christian McCaffrey and top free agent acquistion, wide receiver Mike Evans, have both returned to practice from injuries and are expected to play in Week 1.
Aside from having Evans lined up outside, the team is also on a reunion tour with Deebo Samuel, who resigned with the team just before training camp began. Rookie wide receiver, second-round pick De’Zhaun Stribling, is also expected to make an impact for San Francisco as he’s been impressive throughout the preseason.
