2025 01 08T041643Z 169347304 MT1USATODAY25137664 RTRMADP 3 NFL SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT ARIZONA CARDINALS
Will the 49ers’ Week-Long Australia Stay Give Them an Edge Over the Rams? 1
The longest road trip in NFL history is about to turn into a fascinating experiment in travel strategy. The San Francisco 49ers are giving themselves nearly a week in Australia before facing the Los Angeles Rams, while Los Angeles plans to land less than 24 hours before kickoff.
That makes this Week 1 matchup about more than football. Both teams are dealing with a 17-hour time difference and a roughly 16-hour flight, however, they’re betting on completely opposite ways to handle it.
Rams And 49ers Bet On Opposite Australia Travel Plans
Los Angeles Rams, LeRoy IrvinLos Angeles Rams, LeRoy Irvin
Dec 7, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of a Los Angeles Rams helmet at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The 49ers left for Melbourne on September 2, giving their players several days to recover from the flight, adjust their body clocks, and settle into the local routine. Head Coach Kyle Shanahan has been clear that the 49ers believe a trip this long requires time. The team consulted sleep and sports-science experts before settling on the early departure, with the expectation that players may not feel normal until several days after arriving.
49ers going to Australia a week early vs. the Rams going 24 hours before kickoff
Mind you this is a 17 hour flight
The theory for the Rams player’s bodies won’t have enough time for the jet lag and time zones to kick in and impact them. They’re gonna land play the game within…
— Jesse Morse, M.D. (@DrJesseMorse) September 3, 2026
The Rams are going the other direction. They are expected to leave on September 9 and arrive in Melbourne Thursday evening, roughly 16 hours before Friday morning’s kickoff. Instead of asking their bodies to adapt to Australia, the Rams are essentially trying to keep them operating on Pacific Time for the entire trip.
There is logic behind that gamble. The game begins at 10:35 a.m. in Melbourne; however, that is 5:35 p.m. on the West Coast. For the Rams, that could mean playing at a time when their bodies are closer to their normal football rhythm. The 49ers, meanwhile, will have spent the week adjusting to an Australian schedule and could have to deal with a start that feels unusually early.
The Rams also have recent history backing their approach. They went 3-0 in their previous international games under Sean McVay, including last year’s 35-7 demolition of the Jacksonville Jaguars after arriving in London just one day before kickoff.
However, Australia is a different test. The London trip involved an eight-hour time difference. Melbourne nearly doubles that, while the flight itself introduces another problem: fatigue.
Sleep experts have pointed to advantages and drawbacks on both sides. The Rams can avoid spending days fighting jet lag but risk arriving exhausted after one of the longest flights an NFL team will ever take. The Niners should be much more physically settled by kickoff, although acclimating to Melbourne could work against the 49ers because of the early local start.
The 49ers clearly believe the answer is yes. The Rams are betting just as heavily on the opposite, and because both teams are essentially conducting a live experiment in Melbourne, the result could influence how the rest of the NFL approaches future international games.