Kyle Shanahan didn’t leave anything to chance for the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia.
San Francisco arrived in Melbourne on Friday morning after a 15-hour chartered Qantas flight, bringing a 200-member traveling party with it. The 49ers plan to use the full week before their matchup with the Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 11 to get their bodies and clocks right.
That early landing is a deliberate call. The trip across the Pacific takes roughly 17 hours for both teams, and the aftereffects can hang around for as long as three days. Shanahan chose to build in that recovery window instead of trying to manage it on the fly.
The move matters even more because the 49ers are dealing with injuries. George Kittle and Nick Bosa both made the trip hurt, but both have already gotten back to practice and are hoping to play when the game begins. The extra time should help older and sore players let any swelling calm down before they have to take the field.
There is one notable absence. Defensive end Sam Okuayinonu injured his foot during the week and has been ruled out. He had three sacks a season ago.
The game itself is a major marker for the league: the first regular-season NFL contest ever played in Australia, with organizers expecting a sold-out crowd at the MCG. Because kickoff is Friday morning locally, fans in the United States will see it Thursday night in prime time on the East Coast.
The travel plans also set up a sharp contrast on the sidelines. San Francisco is using the week to settle in and reset, while Sean McVay and the Rams are taking a much tighter approach. Los Angeles plans to arrive Thursday, less than 24 hours before kickoff, and leave soon after the game ends.
McVay is banking on staying close to West Coast time and avoiding the full brunt of jet lag. It’s a formula that has worked before, including last season when the Rams beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
Still, the outcome won’t be decided by who managed the flight better. The game will come down to execution and play-calling, not arrival times.
If the Rams stumble and the 49ers capitalize, the storyline may point to McVay’s plan going wrong. But that would be a narrative twist, not the reason the game was won or lost.
For both coaches, this is just another chance to squeeze out an edge in an unusual setting. That’s the job when football takes you to the other side of the planet.
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