MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - The San Francisco 49ers made the first NFL regular-season game in Australia look a lot like a warning shot.
Brock Purdy threw for 205 yards and three touchdowns, and the 49ers rolled past the Los Angeles Rams 27-7 on Friday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of 100,021 fans, the seventh-largest regular-season crowd in NFL history.
It was the kind of day that showed up the difference between the two teams from the opening whistle. The 49ers had already been in Melbourne for a week, settling in and winning over plenty of local fans.
The Rams didn’t arrive until Thursday morning. By kickoff, the contrast showed.
The game started slowly for both sides in a 10:35 a.m. kickoff meant to serve U.S. primetime audiences, but the crowd finally found its voice when Kyren Williams scored the NFL’s first Australian touchdown on a 5-yard run early in the second quarter.
That was about as good as it got for Los Angeles.
Purdy eventually settled in after a shaky start, and the San Francisco offense began landing real punches. He hit Demarcus Robinson, a former Rams receiver, on a 39-yard post route, then connected with Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel for touchdowns as the 49ers pulled away.
Samuel’s 45-yard kickoff return helped set up the score to Evans, who beat new Rams cornerback Jaylen Watson for the catch. San Francisco kept finding ways to tilt the field in its favor.
The Rams, meanwhile, never looked comfortable against a defense that made life miserable for Matthew Stafford. The NFL MVP went 15 of 25 for 155 yards, and Los Angeles managed just one score against a San Francisco group that was sharp on every level. The 49ers even stopped Stafford on a fourth-down quarterback sneak from the San Francisco 1 in the third quarter.
Los Angeles also wasted a red-zone chance later in the game. Puka Nacua was ruled down inches short of the goal line, and the 49ers stuffed Stafford on the next snap.
The Rams entered the game having not lost by more than seven points since November 2024, but Friday turned into something far uglier than a narrow setback. It was a blunt reality check in the middle of an international showcase.
The 49ers will host Miami on Sunday, Sept. 20.
The Rams will host the New York Giants on Monday, Sept. 21.
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