The Rams’ plan for their season opener in Australia has sparked a fresh debate, with the team expected to land in Melbourne only one day before facing the 49ers on September 10.
That decision has not gone down smoothly with everyone. Some fans have blasted the approach as “Irresponsible,” pointing to the grind of a 14-16 hour flight from California and Melbourne’s 17-hour time difference in September. With the Rams reportedly choosing to arrive 24 hours before kickoff, the schedule leaves little margin for recovery before their first game of the season.
According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, via Yahoo Sports, Sean McVay and his staff believe the best move is to get there the day before the game. San Francisco, by contrast, are set to arrive a full week early so their players and coaches can get used to the time change.
Online reaction split quickly. One fan wrote on X: 'the rams are treating this like a business trip while the 49ers are actually respecting the travel logistics'.
'This feels so wrong and irresponsible to say the least - Their sleep schedule is about to be RUINED for a few days,' another fumed.
'That is f***ing idiotic,' claimed a third.
While another user offered up an early prediction for the game: 'Niners a lock then'.
But there’s another side to the argument, and plenty of fans jumped to the Rams’ defense. The game is set for 10:35am local time in Melbourne, which works out to 5:35pm PST, and that has led some to believe the Rams are better off sticking closer to their normal rhythm.
'I would do what the Rams are doing. Game time is at 5:35pm PST. No need to adjust to that,' one argued.
Another commented: 'The game is prime time in the US; the Rams don’t need to adjust to the time zone, they just need some good blackout curtains in their hotel rooms.'
While a third put: 'all these low IQ people in the comments not realizing this is a strategy that works better than having two massive time adjustments in a 1.5 week period'.
This isn’t a brand-new tactic for McVay, either. The Rams used the same approach for their London game against the Jaguars last season, arriving in the English capital less than 30 hours before kickoff at Wembley Stadium. It worked out then, with LA rolling to a 35-7 win.
Australia, though, is a much tougher trip than London. The flight from LA is far longer, and the time difference is bigger, which is why this opener has drawn so much attention before a single snap has been played.
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