Sean McVay’s Week 2 win over the Giants did more than get the Rams back on track. It also gave him a chance to laugh off the travel mess from Week 1 - and, in the process, made the 49ers’ Australia strategy look even smarter.
After Los Angeles’ 28-6 rout of the visiting New York Giants on Monday Night Football, the conversation around the Rams’ rough trip to Melbourne, Australia, took a sharp turn. The week before, the Rams had been beaten 27-7 by the San Francisco 49ers in the league’s first-ever game in Australia.
San Francisco had traveled down under a week early. Los Angeles arrived less than two days before kickoff.
That decision drew plenty of attention, and McVay took his share of criticism for it. But after the Rams’ rebound win, the head coach leaned into the joke when speaking to reporters.
"Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn and sometimes you have a dumbass coach that makes travel plans that puts you in bad spot," the head coach told reporters with a sense of humor, subsequently smaking the podium and walking off as if he had done a proverbial mic drop.
"Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn and sometimes you have a dumbass coach that makes travel plans that puts you in bad spot."
Sean McVay on the difference with the Rams between Week 1 and Week 2. pic.twitter.com/RjfnnGLuJn
- ESPN (@espn) September 22, 2026
The line was classic McVay - self-aware, a little sharp, and clearly meant to close the book on the travel debate. It also had the side effect of reinforcing how well the 49ers handled the trip. Their early arrival now looks like the more sensible blueprint for any future team making that long haul.
From McVay’s point of view, the message was simple: the Rams are still very much in the mix, and Week 1 was just a stumble. But from San Francisco’s side, the quote only strengthens the case that the Niners got the logistics right from the start.
And while the Rams’ win quieted some of the noise, the Australia trip may not be done with them yet. In a tightly packed NFC West, it wouldn’t be surprising if Los Angeles, San Francisco and the Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks are all bunched together when Week 18 arrives.
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