Mike Evans had absolutely no idea about Rams’ bizarre travel plans to Australia
San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Mike Evans was startled to learn when the Los Angeles Rams touched down in Australia
Embarking on a roughly 15-hour flight to Australia and arriving a day before playing a football game seemed foolhardy on the surface, but because the Los Angeles Rams are a model organization that does its homework, many fans withheld stern judgment. Well, now that the game is over, the skeptics are taking a victory lap on social media. The San Francisco 49ers, who spent a week in The Land Down Under, overpowered LA in a 27-7 victory to begin their regular season.
There are multiple reasons why this game may have unfolded the way it did: the Niners are a legitimate squad that can contend for a championship when healthy, and Week 1 can be fluky. However, this should not have been a laugher in the second half. The Rams are far too talented to put forth such an uninspiring effort in a marquee matchup. Jet lag presumably had some effect on the lack of competitiveness, even if Myles Garrett suggests otherwise.
Mike Evans, who was one of the heroes for San Francisco in this statement-making performance, was stunned to learn that LA touched down in Melbourne on Thursday morning Australia time. “Oh, Dang!” the star wide receiver said, per The Athletic’s Matt Barrows, after posting six receptions for 49 yards and a touchdown in his 49ers debut.
The Rams thought they had found a short cut, but that is near-impossible to do when traveling to another continent. Despite sending staffers to Australia two years in advance and tracking their sleep data, this gambit had miserable results. Now, LA just has to hope that it does not experience any additional negative consequences from this abbreviated stay overseas.
San Francisco does not want to hear excuses, though. The 49ers came prepared and outclassed their NFC West rival in every aspect of the game, going 7-of-12 on third downs, producing 379 yards of offense and limiting MVP Matthew Stafford to 155 passing yards. Brock Purdy displayed touch and poise, while Christian McCaffrey logged 6.8 yards per carry.
Travel will understandably command much of the focus coming out of this divisional confrontation, but analysts must pay fair attention to what transpired on the field as well.
Embarking on a roughly 15-hour flight to Australia and arriving a day before playing a football game seemed foolhardy on the surface, but because the Los Angeles Rams are a model organization that does its homework, many fans withheld stern judgment. Well, now that the game is over, the skeptics are taking a victory lap on social media.