MELBOURNE — Brock Purdy threw for 205 yards and three touchdowns as the San Francisco 49ers opened the 2026 season with an emphatic 27-7 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Friday in the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia, Reuters reported.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, the reigning NFL MVP, finished without a touchdown pass and was pulled late in the fourth quarter as the Super Bowl favorites were outclassed by their NFC West rivals in front of 100,021 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The morning local kickoff — timed for a U.S. prime-time audience on a weekday — produced the seventh-largest regular-season NFL crowd on record and the second-largest international gate, trailing only the 49ers-Cardinals meeting at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca in 2005 (103,467), per Reuters.

“What an atmosphere to get a win in,” 49ers tight end George Kittle said, according to Reuters. “The boys played well. The juice was there all day, and I mean, anytime you get a win versus division opponent is always a great thing. And anytime you beat the Rams, it’s a great thing.”

San Francisco landed in Melbourne a week early to beat jet lag and soak in the city’s coffee and food scene — and got a warm reception when the team ran out onto the oval-shaped field. The Rams arrived only the day before and stuck closer to their usual U.S. routines; locals booed them on the way out, Reuters reported. BBC Sport quoted 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel telling Australia’s Channel Seven he loved the boos and doubted a 16-hour flight the day before left a team ready to play.

Purdy hits Robinson, Evans, and Samuel

49ers kicker Eddy Piñeiro opened the scoring with a field goal late in the first quarter. Los Angeles answered in the second when Stafford hit Puka Nacua for 41 yards to set up Kyren Williams’ 5-yard touchdown run — the NFL’s first touchdown on Australian soil.

Interceptions stalled both offenses until Purdy found Demarcus Robinson for a 39-yard touchdown with 4:28 left in the half, putting San Francisco ahead 10-7. After the break, Mike Evans scored his first touchdown with his new team on a 2-yard catch from Purdy to make it 17-7, and Purdy capped a long drive early in the fourth with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Deebo Samuel. Piñeiro later added a 56-yard field goal after linebacker Fred Warner forced a Tyler Higbee fumble, sealing the 27-7 final, per the 49ers’ official game takeaways and Reuters.

Purdy finished 25-of-34 for 205 yards and three scores without a sack, spreading the ball to eight receivers, the club said. The 49ers ran for 174 yards behind Christian McCaffrey (68 yards) and rookie Kaelon Black (65). San Francisco’s defense held Los Angeles scoreless after Williams’ early touchdown and stuffed Stafford on a quarterback sneak at the goal line late in the third.

Garrett’s rough Rams debut; Shanahan extends edge on McVay

It was a painful Los Angeles debut for Myles Garrett, last season’s Defensive Player of the Year after a record 23-sack year with Cleveland. Garrett said a lingering offseason knee issue left him a shell of himself against Purdy.

“This was the worst version of myself that I’ve put out there,” Garrett told reporters, per Reuters. “I have to be better. I have to recover and get back to being the player I know I can be and that I’ve shown I can be before.”

Rams coach Sean McVay defended the short stay Down Under but did not sugarcoat the result.

“Today was humbling but sometimes life can do that to you,” McVay said, according to Reuters. “We’ve got a lot of football left and we’re not going to allow this one game to do anything other than help us learn and grow.”

BBC Sport separately quoted McVay refusing travel excuses: “I make no excuses. Whether you want to say it’s about travel, whatever. We just weren’t good enough. I didn’t coach good enough, and we’ll look at it and we’ll move forward.”

With the win, Kyle Shanahan extended his career mark against McVay to 12-7. San Francisco returns home to host the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Sept. 20, at Levi’s Stadium.

Sources