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The Los Angeles Rams arrived at the Melbourne Cricket Ground one day before the season opener, team sweatsuits on and smiles wide.
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As they walked to the locker room following the 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, that expression was completely gone, and it carried into the postgame conversation.
While most of social media focuses on Matthew Stafford’s worst performance as a Ram, Myles Garrett’s no-show debut, the defense’s total letdown, more attention should shift toward Sean McVay.
The head coach had his worst coaching performance Thursday. His team was outplayed in all three phases of the game, which he acknowledged.
A humbling Week 1 for the Rams
“I didn’t do nearly a good enough job,” McVay said. “This is a humbling day for us. This will define us only if we allow it to. Today was one of those days.
“There were some opportunities where maybe the game could have flipped, but they deserved the win. They were ready to go. And we’ll look at it. We’ll see where we can improve and be better moving forward.
“But this is a good humbling day. This is what can sometimes happen in sports. I love this locker room and, you know, the first thing that I’m going to look at is myself, and I have to do a better job for a group collectively, with our coaches, with our players, and we’ll look at this film, and we’ll get back to work because, clearly, that’s obviously what we’ve got to do, and sometimes sports can humble you, and today was one of those days.”
According to ESPN, the Rams became the first preseason Super Bowl favorites in half a century to lose Week 1 by 20 or more points.
After an early touchdown by running back Kyren Williams, the offense was completely out of sync the rest of the game. Though Puka Nacua had moments, the air attack was virtually nonexistent.
The pass rush struggled to pressure 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, who threw three touchdowns against the retooled Rams secondary. McVay needs to reevaluate defensive coordinator Chris Shula’s status. In the last four games dating back to last season, the defense has allowed 1,520 yards and 10 touchdowns.
One day later, the criticism is here
McVay is feeling heat for the travel plans to Melbourne, Australia. The 49ers elected to leave for the international trip one week early, allowing more preparation time, while the Rams left one day before the NFC West matchup. Arriving closer to kickoff affected their overall performance.
Regardless, the Rams remain Super Bowl favorites, with 16 games remaining. It’s too early for overreaction. Aaron Donald will likely be in uniform for the Week 2 home opener against the New York Giants.
But the hype surrounding the latest superteam in Los Angeles, due to the travel process and lack of coaching preparation, has cooled.
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Most of the blame should fall on McVay.
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This story was originally published September 11, 2026 at 10:27 AM.