60 percent of NFL fans who watched the San Francisco 49ers take on the Los Angeles Rams at Melbourne Cricket Ground today believed that the game was going to be one-sided. They had logical reasons, after all. The Rams had architected a historic defense alongside one of the best offenses in the league. Against them were the San Francisco 49ers, an underdog in many ways imaginable. But in a David-and-Goliath divisional meeting, the 49ers had two advantages: a huge fanbase in Down Under, and their bodies already being acclimated to Australia’s cool 60-degree Fahrenheit spring over their one-week stay ahead of the showdown. And while one may have thought that tempers wouldn’t flare on the ground, things couldn’t be more different.

The 49ers’ offense became a dagger to the Aaron Donald-less four-headed monster leading the Rams’ defense, while their defense continued preying on Stafford’s unit. And so, early on, things got heated enough. By the time the Rams will return to their homeland now, the enormous 27-7 upset would not be the only bad news one of their players would be revisiting.

With 1:23 left in the halftime, and the 49ers leading 10-7 while facing a 2nd & 3, Purdy was searching for a target in his unit. Just as he got the ball out of his hands, Rams’ Byron Young caught him by the waist and pulled him a step back. Simultaneously, LA’s Tyler Davis, who was guarding the 49ers OL Connor Colby, went straight towards the QB and rammed his helmet. Instantly, the flag was out, and the Rams were handed a 15-yard penalty. While Purdy got to move the chains despite an incompletion, Davis might not get his hands off the consequences of his actions that easily.

The NFL’s Accountability page states that Davis can expect a $17,911 fine by this weekend, since this was his first roughing the passer penalty of the season. While this would only be a small scratch on his $1.1 million salary this year, he can still get out of this problem in two ways.

First, of course, he can appeal to NFL football operations about this specific penalty. According to the NFL’s Accountability: Fines & Appeals section, the league will examine specific plays previously identified as potential infractions and determine if there’s a cause for further review. If they find a player guilty, the officials penalize them with a fine. The other way is something that many Rams fans would already be thinking…

In the play, you can see that Purdy’s head slightly lowers, which could be seen as a cause of the helmet-to-helmet hit. To Davis’ dismay, though, that wouldn’t be the case. Purdy’s head lowers, but only ever so slightly, and that too because Young was pulling him back against his body’s natural forward movement after making the throw towards his wide receiver, Deebo Samuel. However, it’s not a guarantee that Davis will receive a fine for the helmet-to-helmet hit on Purdy.

Back in 2023, the 49ers quarterback entered the concussion protocol after Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jordan Hicks collided with his helmet. Even though the game video proves the helmet-to-helmet contact, the league didn’t fine Hicks, when many expected otherwise. Nevertheless, the impact on the quarterback was pretty prominent. And after the game, he wasn’t hiding the shock.

Brock Purdy addresses his helmet hit by Tyler Davis

Ever since he was drafted as the Mr. Irrelevant, Purdy has shown he is anything but. In fact, while he has a medium-build body for a quarterback, he is not that easy to move under pressure, as Davis’ hit did. After that collision, Purdy was on the field, trying to regain balance. Yet, after a quick checkup, the quarterback was back on the field to continue the drive. But he did address that hit after the win.

“I just laid there for a sec, and sort of let it calm down,” Purdy said after the game. “And then I was able to get up and go to the tent, and then from there I got better. Literally, as time went on, it just started to go away. That was why I was able to go back in there mid-drive.

“I’ve never had [a stinger] before. So when I got hit, I probably could have popped up if someone grabbed my arm and pulled me up. This was my first time having it. Just based off of guys, my teammates, how they explain a stinger, that is definitely what I [was] feeling.” 

Purdy did not score on that drive, and his final throw towards Mike Evans on a 3rd & 3 was almost too quick for the wide receiver to hold on to. So, it was clear that he was shaken after that hit. But that didn’t change his plans for the day.

Purdy threw for 205 yards and scored three touchdowns, and remained pick-free in a great international outing to kick off his season. The 49ers dominated the Rams on both sides of the ball, causing a massive upset. The Matthew Stafford-led offense could only get one rushing touchdown via Kyren Williams, but the defense outshone Los Angeles. Stafford was intercepted once and could only throw for 155 yards.

Now, the Rams will host the New York Giants next week, and the 49ers will welcome the Miami Dolphins at home. But until then, they can sleep off the NFL’s first regular-season game in Melbourne.