Star-studded Rams Humbled By Brock Purdy And 49ers In Australian Season Opener

Maybe, if the Rams still reach their intended destination at season’s end, they’ll look back at their very long trip to Australia — and purposely short stay — and be grateful.

A humbling punch in the face. A wake-up call. A rallying point that spurs them to even greater heights.

Until then, there is only one way to look at it:

The Rams embarrassed themselves, for a new part of the NFL world to see, in a humiliating 27-7 defeat by the San Francisco 49ers.

The Rams arrived here as the star-studded favorite to win Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium. They left star-crossed, stunned and searching for answers on their long flight back to Los Angeles.

Read more:Super Bowl-favorite Rams lose to 49ers in Australian season opener

The Rams sleep-walked through nearly all of the opener before a sold-out crowd of 100,021 at Melbourne Cricket Ground, in the first NFL game in Australia.

Coach Sean McVay’s strategy of arriving the day before the game backfired and resulted in a dull performance by a team featuring some of the NFL’s biggest stars.

Did McVay still think he made the right decision having his team take a 16-hour plane ride and arrive the day before the game?

“I don’t believe that’s why we didn’t play well enough, I really don’t,” McVay said. “It’s easy in hindsight to be able to say that was a miss.”

McVay, per usual, threw himself on the sword and took the blame. And in this case, much of it was warranted.

Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers coach who doubles as McVay’s friend, mentor and nemesis, outmaneuvered McVay again. Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, the Rams’ former defensive coordinator and one of McVay’s closest friends, outschemed McVay and his staff.

But McVay was not alone.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford, the reigning NFL most valuable player, completed only 15 of 25 passes for 155 yards with an interception. With the game out of reach, McVay pulled Stafford late in the fourth quarter and had backup Stetson Bennett lead the Rams’ final possession.

“Not enough good stuff on offense,” Stafford said. “We didn’t do the things that we’re accustomed to doing. ... Too many times we were on different pages.”

All-Pro receiver Puka Nacua, the NFL leader in catches last season, caught five passes for 74 yards and never broke loose. Davante Adams, who led the NFL in touchdown catches last season, caught only three passes.

The additions of All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, record-setting edge rusher Myles Garrett and cornerback Jaylen Watson were supposed to supercharge the Rams’ defense.

But 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy passed for three touchdowns and 205 yards, and the Rams recorded no sacks.

Garrett, a two-time NFL defensive player of the year, looked nothing like the player who amassed a season-record 23 sacks last season for the Cleveland Browns. He was clearly handicapped by a left knee problem that has plagued him since training camp.

“This was the worst version of myself that I’ve put out there,” Garrett said. “And I have to be better, and we have to find a way to recover and get back to the player I know I can be and I’ve shown I’ve been before.”

The pain distracted Garrett while facing a 49ers lineup that included three-time All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams.

“When I was out there, I was a little bit more focused on myself and trying to stay healthy than what they were doing, and that showed,” Garrett said. “I wasn’t who I needed to be for my team.”

Special teams also played a role in the defeat. Deebo Samuel broke off a 45-yard kick return that set up a touchdown.

The 49ers “obviously did what they kind of wanted with us,” Stafford said.

The result made Shanahan’s decision to have his team spend a week in Melbourne to acclimate the correct one.

Shanahan had bristled at the fact that the 49ers were chosen as the Rams’ opponent for the International Series game because it took away the ability of 49ers fans to descend onto SoFi Stadium.

Shanahan also wasn’t happy that the Rams’ next game is Sept. 21 on “Monday Night Football,” while the 49ers are playing on Sept. 20. Add in that the 49ers also must play in Mexico in November, and there was plenty of motivation beyond the game itself.

The Rams trailed 17-7 early in the third quarter before the Rams’ offense briefly woke up. Stafford engineered a drive to the 49ers’ two-yard line. But after a one-yard catch by Nacua, the 49ers stuffed Stafford’s sneak attempt.

The 49ers capitalized, marching 99 yards in 11 plays, and scoring on Purdy’s touchdown pass to Samuel for a 24-7 lead.

“There’s been a handful of humbling moments we’ve had,” said McVay, who is in his 10th season, “and this was certainly one of them.”

After the game, players said McVay’s message was about resilience.

“We knew we were going to face some adversity during the season,” Garrett said. “Come to find out it’s Game 1.”

Read more:NFL has grand expectations for SoFi Stadium's first 'full-on' Super Bowl

The Rams will spend the next 10 days reviewing what went wrong and preparing for the New York Giants at SoFi Stadium. It remains to be seen whether Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald will make his season debut.

“We have a little bit of time,” Stafford said, “which quite frankly is going to be not fun because you’d rather be coming home with a win and feeling good.”

Perhaps the Rams will feel that way down the road.

McVay is focused on other issues.

“We’re going to find out what we’re about,” he said.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.