49ers Rout Rams in Australia as Rams’ Star Availability and Form Come Under Pressure
A 27-7 loss combined with Aaron Donald’s absence and Myles Garrett’s muted, injury-affected debut deepens doubts about Los Angeles’ defensive overhaul.
Overview
- San Francisco beat Los Angeles 27-7 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sept. 11, turning the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia into a decisive road win for the 49ers.
- Rams coach Sean McVay kept Aaron Donald in Los Angeles for Week 1 as the team managed his return from retirement and he has no firm return date.
- Myles Garrett logged 40 defensive snaps in his Rams debut without a tackle or quarterback hit and said after the game that a lingering lower-leg and knee issue left him not fully fit.
- Netflix’s exclusive broadcast mixed local color with postgame spectacle as Michael Irvin’s kangaroo-hood moment went viral and he publicly urged Donald and Garrett to perform or risk “a season with great shame.”
- The game amplifies immediate pressure on Los Angeles to get its top defensive additions healthy and effective, and it tests Netflix’s international broadcast experiment that drew strong social-media engagement.