NFL thrills Melbourne, 49ers blow Rams away

Gates at one of the world’s largest sporting stadiums, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, opened as early as 7am local time, as a vibrant assemblage of fans of showed off their team colors in the NFL’s most highly anticipated international match to date.

The 49ers faithful, many of whom were newfound, with the team winning over the city by arriving almost a whole week prior to the Rams, ensured that red was the dominant color in the stands. Though Rams fans certainly didn’t disgrace themselves, while a strong contingent of neutrals, equipped with all kinds of jerseys, hoped for nothing more than a great game in their first taste of live NFL action.

Whilst the days leading up to the game acted as a perfect celebration of American football making its way to a new country, with non-stop festivities flowing through the city of Melbourne, it was clear by the kickoff that this still meant as much to the teams as any historic matchup within the historic NFC West rivalry.

After a clunky start to the game, it was the Rams who found the end zone first as Kyren Williams ran one in from short yardage, on the back of a 40-yard catch from all-world wideout Puka Nacua, to give them a 7-3 lead early in the 2nd quarter.

The teams traded interceptions in the 2 ensuing drives, with Quentin Lake initially picking off a poor Brock Purdy throw, before Matthew Stafford failed to capitalise on good field position, throwing one straight down the throat of Renardo Green in search of Nacua on 3rd and long.

In what will have 49ers fans constantly searching for updates in the aftermath, highly touted rookie wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling needed to be helped from the field with an ankle concern, after appearing to have tweaked it earlier in the game as well. He was eventually carted into the locker room.

But it was a next man up mentality for Kyle Shanahan’s side, as DeMarcus Robinson broke loose for a 39-yard touchdown on a dime from Purdy, who shook off his previous interception quickly.

The Jonas Brothers roused the 100,000-strong crowd to their feet with their halftime performance, much like what the Australian Football League sees each year on the hallowed turf during Grand Final day.

Shanahan’s speech at the main break proved more inspiring than Sean McVay’s, as the 49ers romped down the field in under 4 minutes, capping off an electric drive with Mike Evans’ first touchdown for the team, extending the lead to double digits.

Perhaps the game’s most important play came on 4th and inches at the 49ers’ defensive goalline after a long Rams drive, where the defensive front stopped Stafford (0/2 on QB sneak attempts in 2025) as he tried to trim the deficit on an unusual play call from McVay.

San Francisco put the game out of reach for the Rams, as Deebo Samuel Sr. completed a 99-yard drive with a touchdown in his return to the team. Despite the early interception, Brock Purdy looked in control of the game throughout its entirety, even showing off his scrambling abilities with 29 rushing yards on the day (to go with 205 passing yards and 3 TD), as the Rams’ defensive front did not faze him, failing to register a sack.

The impressive 49ers defense put emphasis on the game as Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw forced a Tyler Higbee fumble, which Keion White recovered. Eddy Pineiro then drilled a 56-yarder for his 2nd made field goal, blowing the margin out to 20 points. The scorers were untroubled thereafter, as San Francisco ran out 27-7 victors, with backup quarterback Stetson Bennett IV taking over from Matthew Stafford (155 passing yards, 1 INT) to finish the game for LA.

Despite an underwhelming performance from the Rams and a fizzer of a game, the buzz from the Australian fans continued right to the end, with only a small portion of Rams fans heading for the exits early. A true success story for Roger Goodell and the NFL, as the sport continues to grow worldwide. Anticipation for Melbourne’s next game has already begun.

Things couldn’t have gone much better for the 49ers, though the nervous wait for the results of Stribling’s injury has commenced immediately. Shanahan and his team’s high performance staff would be right to pat themselves on the back for the decision to travel to Melbourne early, looking much fresher across the course of the contest.

As for the Rams, they’ll need to find answers quickly before they host the New York Giants on September 21. Perhaps most disappointing was the underwhelming debut of prized recruit Myles Garrett, failing to generate pressure all afternoon. He’ll look forward to the return of his running mate Aaron Donald in the coming weeks.

A major triumph as the NFL expanded into its 9th country. ‘Til next time, Australia!

Touchdowns
San Francisco: Robinson, Evans, Samuel Sr.
Los Angeles Rams: Williams

Top Performers
San Francisco: Evans, Purdy, Bosa, Warner, Greenlaw, Samuel Sr.
Los Angeles Rams: Williams, Lake

Injuries
San Francisco: Stribling (ankle), Tonges (leg)
Los Angeles Rams: Allen (concussion), Landman (shoulder)

Crowd: 100,021 at Melbourne Cricket Ground