Before departing Los Angeles for their 16-hour trans-Pacific flight to Australia, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said that “every minute is accounted for” in the lead-up to their season opener. The Rams, who were favorites heading into the game, wanted to treat their arrival in Melbourne as a normal Saturday arrival before taking the field the next day, like any normal 7.30 pm prime-time NFL game in California, by fooling their bodies.
However, that scientific gamble backfired as the plan started to unravel. This led to the Rams taking the L in the first game of the season after being called Super Bowl favourites throughout the off-season. After watching the San Francisco 49ers thrash the visibly exhausted Rams 27-7, former Rams DT Ndamukong Suh went berserk on HC Sean McVay for his travel itinerary, publicly calling it “asinine” and “dumb.”
Speaking on the Front Office Sports Asset Class event this Tuesday, the ex-Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears defender noted,
“We were just talking about the Australia game and the asinine decision that the LA Rams made. That’s a legitimate take that I will back up and say they made a dumb decision. If I’m a head coach, I’m going to make this trip Week 1. Bring your family. Do everything. You get the first two days to enjoy yourself. New continent, new everything. Enjoy that, and then we’re gonna lock in for the game. And the 49ers, in my opinion, did that. And they executed the game in easy fashion.”
The contrast between the two teams’ travel plans couldn’t have been starker. Unlike Sean McVay, 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan made the trip a full week early. This allowed his players to adjust. Meanwhile, the Rams stayed in California to practice, landing in Melbourne barely 28 hours before kickoff on September 11 at 10:35 a.m. local time.
For a franchise supposedly more talented than the 49ers, the latter looked like the superior from the moment the opening kickoff sailed over the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Reigning NFL MVP and Rams starting QB Matthew Stafford threw a costly pick-six, got intercepted on fourth-and-goal, and was benched in favor of backup QB Stetson Bennett with 3 minutes left on the clock.
The Rams’ defense looked flat without Aaron Donald. New addition, the reigning DPOY Myles Garrett even admitted that it was the “worst version” of himself that he put out there, also adding he’s “got to find a way to get better.” Garrett, who otherwise is a rare physical specimen, was seen gassed out in between snaps and on the sideline in several clips all over social media.
As the 49ers stomped the Rams in front of an energized Aussie crowd, Sean McVay refrained from blaming the travel schedule for the loss.
“I don’t believe that’s why we didn’t play well enough. I really don’t.”
Sean McVay pointed to the Rams’ 3-0 international record, including a 2025 London win over Jacksonville, where they arrived late following a similar travel strategy.
DT Kobbie Turner noted that he “felt fine” when asked about whether travel strategy played a part in their loss after the game. He also added that there was no excuse for how they went out and played, it’s about what they put out.
Former NBA star Jay Williams concurred with Ndamukong Suh during the Front Office Sports’ Asset Class, pointing out how the Rams blew a major international opportunity. As Melbourne’s designated home team, they completely bypassed local fan outreach.
As the league continues pushing games across the globe, Los Angeles’ Week 1 collapse provides a hard lesson about physiology to Sean McVay. You simply cannot out-scheme basic biology.