MELBOURNE -- The 49ers didn’t just handle the Rams in Australia. They put together a 27-7 win that had just about everything going their way, starting with Brock Purdy’s sharpest kind of night.
Purdy was the clear difference in the game. He threw three touchdown passes to three different receivers, ran for 29 yards and only had one interception, but that lone mistake barely dented what was a polished performance.
He looked more confident as the game unfolded, and when the 49ers kept him protected, he played like it. Against defending MVP Matthew Stafford, Purdy looked better than ever.
The ground game did plenty of damage too. Christian McCaffrey and Kaelon Black both topped 60 rushing yards, and Black actually got more carries than McCaffrey, 14 to 10.
That’s a striking split given how much McCaffrey has historically been leaned on. By the end, the 49ers even fed McCaffrey a few more touches to pad the numbers, because otherwise Black would have looked like the No. 2 back.
There was a scare early when De'Zhaun Stribling went down with what looked like an Achilles injury. The 49ers said the Achilles is intact and that the injury is to his ankle, but they didn’t say much else, so his timeline remains unclear. Even so, the offense didn’t miss a beat because Mike Evans, Demarcus Robinson and Deebo Samuel all stepped up in a big way.
Each of those three had at least 48 receiving yards and a touchdown. Evans was especially important on third down and in the red zone.
Robinson delivered the surprise shot play, catching a deep touchdown when the Rams were keying on Evans. Samuel did a little of everything as a receiver, runner and returner.
If that group stays healthy, the 49ers have the kind of weapons that make defenses pay.
George Kittle was out there too, even though he admitted he wasn’t in football shape early on. Once the 49ers stopped forcing the ball to him, the offense opened up.
For now, they just need him to block, and he helped clear the way for a rushing total of 174 yards. Jake Tonges, though, injured his MCL while falling and trying to leg-whip Myles Garrett, a play that could have drawn a penalty as well.
Up front, the 49ers were clean in pass protection and gave up zero sacks while helping produce 174 rushing yards at 5.9 yards per carry. The Rams’ defensive front may look imposing on paper, but the 49ers controlled that matchup.
Defensively, the numbers told a mixed story. The 49ers allowed 5.1 yards per carry and didn’t sack Stafford, and when the Rams committed to the run, San Francisco had trouble slowing them down. But once the Rams fell behind, they had to lean away from the ground game, and Stafford still looked rattled enough for it to matter.
Fred Warner was once again the anchor, finishing with 11 tackles and a forced fumble. Dre Greenlaw added six tackles.
Renardo Green shut down Davante Adams and picked off his third pass since high school, while safety Marques Sigle kept flying to the ball and finished with nine tackles. Even with a modest pass rush and a shaky run defense, that secondary held the Rams to a 61.2 passer rating.
On this day, it was the best unit on the defense.
Deebo Samuel also flashed in the return game with a 45-yard kick return, another reminder that he may be one of the league’s best kick returners. Eddy Pineiro made a 56-yard field goal but missed from 52, which was a rare blemish.
Raheem Morris deserves credit for the way he approached the Rams’ offense. He didn’t overcommit to stopping the run, choosing instead to make Stafford beat him.
That plan paid off. Morris, who has faced Stafford many times before, seemed to have his number, just as he did last season when he was the Falcons head coach and beat the Rams in Week 17.
Kyle Shanahan also got nearly every call right on the trip. Bringing the team to Australia more than a week early, adjusting the offense around Kittle, featuring Evans, splitting the backfield work between McCaffrey and Black, and bringing in Morris all looked like smart moves. The result was a convincing win over a team many people expected to contend for the Super Bowl.
It’s only one game, and nobody is handing out trophies in Week 1. But unlike the 49ers’ close win over Seattle last season, this one was decisive. The Rams were overwhelmed, and the 49ers made sure the score and the trip felt like a long, uncomfortable flight home for Los Angeles.
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The lack of an official diagnosis only added to the unease for a player who had flashed promise throughout the preseason and looked like someone the 49ers could count on for more than just depth. Some early reports pointed to a hamstring problem, but the real concern is simpler than the label right now - whether a promising opening act has already been interrupted before it ever really got going. [Read more 🡒]
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Rams Fans Face An Unusual Week 1 Problem Against The 49ers
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For Netflix, it is the first time the service will carry a Thursday Night Football game outside of Christmas Day after its renewed deal with the league. Pregame coverage is set for 6:30 p.m. ET, with Noah Eagle and Luke Kuechly on the broadcast team, so anyone hoping to catch San Francisco and Los Angeles in the opener will need to find the app before they find the couch. [Read more 🡒]