The San Francisco 49ers traveled 7,879 miles to face off against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia on Thursday. That meant a 17-hour flight and several time zone changes. Moreover, the Niners entered with the burden of being the underdogs, but then flipped the script, grabbing a dominant 27-7 win. It was enough for 49ers legend Steve Young to put a strong backing behind his former team that performed well despite injuries.

“I saw a team that we know is really susceptible to injury, and that became a theme, and it’s all we talk about, and we’ve all said if, if, if, if healthy you’ve got five Hall of Famers on that football team, and if, if, if healthy they could be in the mix with anybody any time, and that’s the fact. So anyone who sleeps on the Niners is an idiot, like, don’t,” said Steve Young on the September 11 episode of The Rich Eisen Show. 

The 49ers took the field in Week 1 as 3.5-point underdogs. One of the biggest reasons behind low expectations is their lingering issues with injuries. Fred Warner missed 11 games last season, sidelined by an ankle injury. This was highlighted by ESPN’s Nick Wagoner ahead of the season opener.

“Biggest concern: The pass rush. In 2025, San Francisco finished last in the NFL in sacks (20). It brought in defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, but it’s still fair to wonder if the 49ers have enough on the edge with Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams coming off ACL injuries and rookie Romello Height replacing Bryce Huff,” wrote Wagoner. “If the pass rush isn’t markedly better, it could be another long season for the defense.”

There were doubts about the 49ers’ prep, with them reaching Australia a week before the game to acclimate themselves to the new environment. On the other hand, the Rams jumped straight away into the game after arriving a day earlier, without proper rest. After all, they were confident about being at their best, having a spectacular preseason, winning all three games, including a notable 34-0 routing of the New Orleans Saints.

Meanwhile, the 49ers opened their preseason with a loss against the Tennessee Titans, but made a strong comeback in the next two.

Another reason for Steve Young’s warning not to take San Francisco easy was that Los Angeles had a star-studded defense, yet they managed to upset them.

In fact, Rams linebacker Byron Young had warned their rivals that they would be going up against possibly the best NFL defense.

“We could be the best to ever do it,” said Byron Young (via ESPN). “I’m not afraid to put that out there. Coming off already being a good defense, adding those DBs and one of the best edge rushers to ever do it? Having that, and already being the type of group that’s growing and getting better and kind of already established — there’s no telling what we can do.”

Last season, the Rams’ defense ranked No. 17, allowing 327.5 yards per game. Entering the 2026 season, the team added Myles Garrett, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, who came off a career-high 23 sacks, to its defense.

However, the 49ers held reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford to 15 completions on 25 attempts for just 155 yards, limiting the Rams, which were last season’s top offense.

Meanwhile, Brock Purdy completed 25 of 34 passes for 205 yards against the Rams’ seemingly ineffective defense with three touchdowns. With this, he became the first San Francisco quarterback with three passing scores in a season opener since Colin Kaepernick in 2013.

For so long, fans were aware that the 49ers were weak in their defense, ranking 20th in yards allowed in 2025. But against the Rams, they were anything but that, with two turnovers, including a forced fumble by Dre Greenlaw. The defense recorded three takeaways across five consecutive Rams drives: an interception, a turnover on downs, and a forced fumble.

It’s just one win for the 49ers, but the result already shot up their Super Bowl odds from +1900 to +1400.