Kyle Shanahan Disappointed That Nfl Took Away ‘home Game In La’ For Australia Game

When it was announced that the San Francisco 49ers were playing the Los Angeles Rams in Australia, one of the biggest detractors was head coach Kyle Shanahan, who expressed his displeasure with the travel and setup.

Having landed in Australia and now preparing for the Week 1 game this week, has his mind changed about the situation?

“When I said that, that was nothing against Australia or anything,” Shanahan said on Sunday. “That’s just about competition and how important our 17 games are. It’s cool for us, just we always have an advantage of having one, I see it as one home game a year in L.A. Just the way our fans are and take over that stadium.”

The 49ers do generally get that extra home game, forcing the Rams into silent counts at their own home stadium. So, there are certain years where San Francisco could get their nine original home games plus that extra game.

This season, San Francisco has eight home games and nine road contests, with the Australia game counting as a road game. So, they won’t have an extra appearance at SoFi Stadium (although they do face the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi in December).

But the 49ers fanbase does travel well, so Week 1 could be a similar environment anyway.

“It was disappointing to let them off the hook and get them out of that,” Shanahan continued. “But, I have a feeling knowing how our fans roll, I have a feeling they won’t be much different here. I expect to have a good showing. I wouldn’t say it hit me right on the plane, but after being here for a couple of days, this is the right time to be here, it’s the right place to be, and it’s the right team to go against.”

If there were a week for an international game, Week 1 is the most ideal, as teams can prepare for it beforehand, whereas they have to adjust on the fly in-season. That’s why the Rams approach is quite unique, as they’re essentially preparing like it’s in-season with their flights.

After getting a few days to adjust, Shanahan is happy that the team went with their approach.

“Not comparing us to them, but yeah I was glad. I know how I felt the last couple, two days. It’s a little different for a coach, toughing through how you use your mind for three-and-a-half hours, a little bit different than your body. But yeah, I’m glad that we’ve been out here because we feel real good today.”

San Francisco and Los Angeles kick off on Friday morning local time, but the game will be aired on Netflix at 5:35 p.m. Pacific time on Thursday evening.