The Rams are days away from something the NFL has never done before, and they’re heading into it with a plan that’s drawing plenty of attention.
Los Angeles will meet the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne on September 10th, the league’s first regular-season game in Australia. But while the 49ers have already been on the ground since September 4th, the Rams are still at home in Southern California. Their approach is simple: keep the normal routine as long as possible, then make the long trip Tuesday evening and arrive in Melbourne Thursday morning.
That means a fast turnaround before kickoff, especially with the time difference. Melbourne is 17 hours ahead of California, and the game will be played Friday at 10:35 am in Australia, which translates to a Thursday 5:35 pm kickoff back in California.
There has been some criticism of the Rams for not getting there earlier, but Matthew Stafford isn’t bothered. “I think guys enjoy being home and having the opportunity to obviously go play over there is really cool, but I feel confident in the way we’re going about it. Guys will be ready come Friday morning.”
Sean McVay sounded just as comfortable with the setup. He said the staff has spent a lot of time mapping out the travel, and he believes the players understand the reasoning behind it.
McVay pointed to rest and rhythm as the key pieces, saying they will, “sleep through the night and then we’ll get there and we have kind of a rhythm.” He also noted the team will be on “a big plane” where “everybody will be able to get fully extended and lay out and be able to get their full rest.”
Another major development inside the Rams’ camp: Davante Adams has been voted a team captain ahead of the 2026 season. It’s the first time the veteran receiver has earned that role with Los Angeles, and he’s entering his 13th NFL season and second with the Rams.
Adams made clear that leadership isn’t only about the letter on the jersey. He said nobody needs a “C” to act like a captain.
Still, he admitted the honor meant a lot. “It feels great.
It's obviously a great feeling to be voted that.” He added, “it’s obviously a huge honor.
The more time I get with this organization, get to know my teammates and everybody, obviously the tighter we become and the stronger we become as a team.”
That leadership has shown up in his relationship with second-year wideout Konata Mumpfield, with Adams helping guide him as he settles into the league. But the bigger point is that Adams sees himself as a steady presence for the whole locker room, not just one player.
McVay had plenty of praise for him too, saying Adams “explaining that he exemplifies what it means to model the way. “He never asks anybody to do anything that he’s not doing.
He’s so willing to share. He’s got a swag and presence that guys just respect.”
Stafford and Adams also had good reason to feel upbeat about the defense, especially with Aaron Donald back in the mix after coming out of retirement. Stafford knows exactly what that looks like, having spent three seasons with Donald, including the Super Bowl run they shared together. When asked about Donald at Sunday’s practice, Stafford called him “a guy who’s accomplished everything you can accomplish on the defensive side of the ball in this sport.”
Adams is seeing Donald up close for the first time as a Ram, and he’s buying into what the veteran brings. For him, it’s not just the production.
It’s the way Donald carries himself and sets the tone. “I know the type of person that he is and I know the way he’s going to work and I know the way he looks right now.”
In Other News...
Rams Secondary Overhaul Suddenly Looks Bigger Than Fans Realized
The Rams spent the offseason reshaping the back end of their defense, and the cornerback additions are the kind of moves that can change how a secondary looks from the first snap of the season onward. Around the league, a handful of notable defensive backs changed teams, but Los Angeles stands out because it brought in both Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie, two names that immediately change the conversation about depth, matchups and week-to-week stability.
Watson and McDuffie arrive with different resumes, but the common thread is that each gives the Rams a real chance to raise the floor of a unit that needed fresh answers. The broader league context matters here too, with Chris Johnson landing in Miami, Benjamin St-Juste going to Green Bay and Jamel Dean heading to Pittsburgh, but Los Angeles may have made the most intriguing bet on upside. How quickly that overhaul clicks will go a long way toward showing whether the Rams just added bodies or truly changed the shape of their secondary. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Are Testing A Risky Australia Plan Before NFL History
The Rams have already started treating Melbourne like a dry run, sending employees to Australia to work through the logistics of what would be the NFLs first regular-season game there. The goal is less about sightseeing than survival: charting the travel, the flight experience, sleep, fatigue and recovery so the team can understand what it might feel like to arrive halfway around the world and still be ready to play soon after.
It is a more aggressive approach than the one other teams, such as the 49ers, are expected to take, with San Francisco planning to get to Melbourne a week early. For the Rams, the question is whether the league can turn a historic event into a workable football week without giving away too much on the front end, and the answer may shape how future international games are handled. [Read more 🡒]
Matthew Stafford Just Became A Bigger Threat For The Rams
Matthew Staffords postseason story has changed dramatically since he arrived in Los Angeles. After going 0-3 in the playoffs with Detroit, he has since built a 7-3 playoff record with the Rams, and that shift has helped redefine what this franchise can expect when the calendar turns. With the roster around him continuing to evolve, theres a growing sense that Stafford is no longer just the quarterback trying to survive January. He is part of a team that has learned how to lean into those moments.
The Rams have also put work into the rest of the operation, especially the rushing game and the defense, with offseason additions like Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald adding to the sense that the support system around Stafford could get even stronger. Looking ahead to 2026, the expectation is not simply that Stafford will be asked to carry the offense, but that he may have more help than ever if the group comes together the way the Rams envision. The upside is obvious, even if the full picture still has to play out. [Read more 🡒]