The Los Angeles Rams are betting against conventional wisdom in Australia. While the San Francisco 49ers are giving themselves nearly a week to adjust to Melbourne, Sean McVay’s team plans to arrive just one day before the Week 1 matchup.
That decision has already raised eyebrows. Adam Schefter is among those wondering whether the Rams’ previous success with a quick international trip really applies here, considering the massive difference in distance and time zones.
Los Angeles Rams Are Betting On A Familiar Routine In Australia
Schefter pointed out that the 49ers consulted extensively before deciding to travel early, while the Rams reached a completely different conclusion. Los Angeles is sticking with the approach it used for last year’s London trip, when the team arrived the day before playing the Jacksonville Jaguars and rolled to a 35-7 win.
“The 49ers are giving themselves a week to adjust and the Rams are just coming in, playing the game and getting out of town. Two entirely different approaches. The Niners consulted with a lot of people. The Rams consulted with a lot of people and when the Rams played the Jaguars last year in London, they went to London the day before the game, won the game by about 40 points and came right back home. They are staying on that type of plan…
I wonder how much they’re basing their experience on London and this being a much longer flight. This is a much longer trip than the one they took to London. We’ll see how this works out.”
Adam Schefter is skeptical of the Rams arriving in Australia the day before their game against the 49ers:
“The 49ers are giving themselves a week to adjust and the Rams are just coming in, playing the game and getting out of town. Two entirely different approaches. The Niners… pic.twitter.com/jnre6cPCmY
— Coach Yac
(@Coach_Yac) September 2, 2026
The difference, however, is hard to ignore. Melbourne is a much longer flight from Los Angeles than London was from Baltimore, where the Rams were based before their trip across the Atlantic. Schefter questioned whether the Rams might be putting too much weight on that London result while dealing with a completely different travel challenge.
There is at least some evidence behind the Rams’ plan. They reportedly sent people to Australia to study how the trip affected sleep and jet lag before settling on their current strategy. Their conclusion was to keep players in their normal routine for as long as possible, fly in late, play the game, and return home.
McVay has also spent considerable time working with sleep specialists. He has been reluctant to reveal the full details of the plan, however, he has made it clear the goal is to minimize disruption rather than give the players several days to adapt to the local clock.
That is where the Niners have taken the opposite approach. They left roughly a week before kickoff, giving its players plenty of time to adjust to Melbourne. Former quarterback Jordan Rodgers recently offered another reason for the skepticism. After traveling to Ireland for the TCU-North Carolina game, Rodgers said he felt like a “walking zombie” after arriving only a day before the contest.
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