49ers beat Aussie Rams 27-7

MELBOURNE, Australia — San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner couldn’t contain his excitement as he jogged on the field to warm up Friday morning.

Warner, who missed all but six games last season with a fractured and dislocated right ankle, kept saying to himself: “Football, football, football” when he stepped on the field.

At that moment, it seemed like Warner was finally back. What happened next was a reminder to Warner for the entire 49ers.

While much of the hype surrounding the NFC West division during the offseason focused on the Rams and defending champion Seattle Seahawks as overwhelming favorites, the Niners traveled to Australia for 16 hours and defeated the Los Angeles Rams 27-7 to let the world know they were still a force in 2026.

Yes, the 49ers’ star core is a little long. Injuries are always a dark cloud hanging over the team, with rookie wideout De’Zhaun Stribling being carted off and tight end Jake Tonges leaving with a knee injury.

But Warner, defensive end Nick Bosa and tight end George Kittle, who returned from serious injuries against the Rams, all played a role in the game. Deebo Samuel Sr. and linebacker Dre Greenlaw were beloved players on the former Niners who went elsewhere and found the grass wasn’t always greener, only to come back and give the Rams the same headaches they experienced when they were first with the team.

While all the talk was about the Rams’ high-profile offseason moves, the Niners made big-money additions in receiver Mike Evans and defensive tackle Osa Odijizwa.

There’s still a long way to go in the season, but for at least one week, the Niners are a better, more physical team. This type of team has all the tools to stay with the Rams and Seahawks long-term.

Here are the most important things to know about both teams:

What to think about the QB’s performance: Niners quarterback Brock Purdy’s second-quarter interception could have capped a long day for the offense.

Instead, Purdy responded by throwing three touchdowns on San Francisco’s next four passes, completing 12 of 14 passes for 125 yards on those possessions. He finished 25 of 34 games 205 yards and 3 pick scores.

Purdy said this offseason he wants to be smarter about when to use his legs to gain yardage and when to use his legs to extend plays to throw the ball down the field, and that showed against the Rams as he picked his spots and found ways to make plays against the run.

Purdy told ESPN it was the best training camp of his career and a great start to a potentially big season.

Trends to watch: Over the past three offseasons, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has publicly discussed the need to find a running back who can ease the workload on star Christian McCaffrey. That didn’t happen, and McCaffrey touched the ball a career-high 413 times last season.

Thursday night’s opener provided a glimpse of the Niners’ strength in relying on third-round pick Kaelon Black to keep McCaffrey fresh and punish the Rams with an effective, balanced rushing attack.

The Niners are over Gained 174 yards on 30 attempts 5.8 Carry every time. black with The Niners held the Rams to the ground with 14 carries for 65 yards and McCaffrey 10 carries for 68 yards, preventing the Rams’ vaunted pass rush from gaining traction.

Most surprising performance: The 49ers defense heads into Thursday’s game with a number of big questions, not the least of which is whether their young players can take a step forward and their star players can return to form.

It was only one game, but the Niners got positive returns on those issues against the Rams’ high-octane offense. The Rams just With 122 yards rushing, the Niners won the turnover battle and clinched the victory.

Cornerback Renardo Green immediately got the ball back for the Niners with an interception after Purdy’s catch, and the entire group set up a crucial fourth down at the goal line to all but seal the victory.

Next game: vs. Miami Dolphins (September 20, 4:20 p.m. ET)

The Rams entered the season with high expectations, becoming Super Bowl favorites after trading reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett and All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie to shore up weaknesses on defense.

The team also returns much of last season’s offensive production, including reigning MVP Matthew Stafford. But in the season opener against the 49ers, the team’s offense didn’t look sharp at all, finishing with 245 yards and going 2-of-8 in the third round and 0-for-2 in the fourth round. The Rams offense never got into a rhythm and turned the ball over twice, including Stafford’s interception in the second quarter.

In the loss to the 49ers, Stafford completed 15 of 25 passes for 155 yards and one interception. His quarterback rating is 61.2.

The Rams, playing Australia’s first regular season game, chose to fly the day before the game and arrived in Melbourne early Thursday. While this game could be played the same way at SoFi Stadium, it’s hard to imagine the long trip not affecting the way the Rams play Friday morning.

The Rams, who lost by 20 points, haven’t lost a game by double digits since Week 12 of the 2024 season. They failed to score in double digits, breaking the NFL’s third-longest scoring streak (42 games), according to ESPN Research.

Trends to watch: Running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum were almost evenly matched in rushing numbers, with Williams leading the way with 11 and Corum’s nine. While the game script could impact how the Rams run the ball, especially in the second half, it could be a sign that the Rams plan to use their running backs by committee more than they did last year. Williams rushed for 41 yards on 11 carries.

Just do some statistics and you’ll know: According to ESPN Research, Stafford’s second-quarter interception was his first against the 49ers since Week 2 of the 2023 season. The quarterback threw eight touchdowns and zero interceptions in four games against the Niners during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Stafford did not throw an interception in conference play last season.

Most surprising performance: Myles Garrett missed most of training camp with knee swelling and did not play any role in his debut with the Rams. He recorded no tackles, quarterback hits or sacks. Garrett played 39 defensive snaps (60.9%).

Next game: vs. New York Giants (September 21, 8:15 p.m. ET)