San Francisco 49ers defeat Los Angeles Rams 27-7 in Melbourne

The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Los Angeles Rams 27-7 on Thursday night in the first NFL regular-season game held in Melbourne, Australia. The Rams arrived in Australia only 28 hours before kickoff, a travel strategy that relied on two years of internal research regarding player sleep rhythms and physical recovery. Following the blowout loss, head coach Sean McVay stated the team simply did not perform well regardless of the travel logistics. The 49ers, who arrived in the country a week earlier to prepare, saw little drop-off in their performance. While the Rams are considered preseason favorites, the defeat sparked widespread criticism from sports media regarding their unconventional arrival schedule. The teams are scheduled to meet again on December 13 in San Francisco.

• 4:45 AMYahoo Sports — Sports media world reacts to Rams’ travel plan after blowout loss to 49ers in Australia