One hundred thousand people, and one team that showed up
The Melbourne Cricket Ground held 100,021 for the first NFL regular-season game ever played in Australia. Only six regular-season crowds in league history have been bigger. Plenty of those people came to see the Los Angeles Rams, the team everyone spent the summer calling a lock for February. They watched San Francisco take the Rams apart instead, 27-7.
Brock Purdy finished with 205 yards, three touchdown passes and one interception. Not a huge night by volume. It did not need to be. Every time the 49ers reached scoring range they came away with points, and Los Angeles spent four quarters chasing.
Kyle Shanahan has owned this matchup for years. Nothing about Thursday night suggested that is about to change.
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The fourth-and-one that ended it
San Francisco opened with a field goal. Los Angeles answered through Kyren Williams, after Matthew Stafford picked out Puka Nacua down the field, and for about fifteen minutes the game looked like the contest it was billed as. Then Purdy hit Demarcus Robinson long for 10-7, and the tone was set before the break.
The second half settled it. Deebo Samuel gave the 49ers good field position with the opening return, Christian McCaffrey ground out the yardage, and Purdy found Mike Evans to make it 17-7. Los Angeles did push back, driving all the way to the San Francisco one-yard line, and on fourth and one Stafford went for the sneak. The 49ers front stuffed him. The Rams never scored again.
Purdy’s third touchdown pass, to Samuel, made it 24-7 and turned the closing stretch into an exhibition. Tyler Higbee fumbled late, Nate Landman limped off, and Stetson Bennett came on to finish the night.
Stafford has questions to answer
Last season’s MVP threw for 155 yards with an interception and never looked settled. Sean McVay drifted away from the run in the first half even while it was working, and the San Francisco defense filled lanes all evening. The Rams flew into Melbourne roughly a day before kickoff, a travel plan that is going to get picked over all week.
They now have until Monday night and the New York Giants to find an answer.
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