The San Francisco 49ers wasted no time to take a savage dig at the Los Angeles Rams on social media after the former's 27-7 win, following the latter's botched travel plans to Australia
Fred Warner #54 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates winning the NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 11, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia
Fred Warner and the San Francisco 49ers celebrated a win over the Los Angeles Rams in Australia(Image: Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
View 2 Images
The San Francisco 49ers did not waste time posting a caption taking a jab at the Los Angeles Rams.
Before the 49ers' 27-7 win over the Rams, a lot had been made of the vastly different travel strategies of both teams, with the former arriving days before the game while the latter landed in Australia just hours before the matchup began in earnest. With the game wrapped up, it was clear that some rest would have helped Los Angeles after a 20-point loss.
That said, it didn't take long for the 49ers' social media team to send a shot at their rival's way after their tactic of traveling to Australia just mere hours before the game backfired spectacularly.
"Sleep tight," the 49ers' post immediately after San Francisco recorded a dominant win over its NFC West rivals. What's more, the photo San Francisco used in the background in celebrating the win featured star linebacker Fred Warner doing Steph Curry's iconic "night night" celebration.
Heading into the matchup, the 49ers opted to arrive in Australia days early to ensure the players could properly acclimate to the time difference and jet lag, while also giving the team time to address any injuries or bruises they might sustain during practice.
San Francisco, because they had time to adjust, woke up earlier to fit their regular game-day routine and played at their best despite the significant time difference between California and Australia.
San Francisco 49ers' wide receiver #5 Mike Evans celebrates after completing a pass during the NFL match between Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne on September 11, 2026
Mike Evans and the San Francisco 49ers used the rest they had to their advantage(Image: Photo by Martin KEEP / AFP via Getty Images)
View 2 Images
Meanwhile, the Rams decided to stay in Los Angeles until the very last moment, flying out in a special plane that allowed the team to maintain their regular sleep schedule in flight. However, the Rams arrived just hours before the game began, hoping to land, play, and immediately fly back to the United States.
It was reported that the Rams have been looking for ways to approach long-distance travel games, a move that had been in the works since the team flew to London to face the Jacksonville Jaguars, a contest Los Angeles won after arriving just one day before the game.
After the loss, Rams head coach Sean McVay downplayed the role of travel in his players looking out of sorts against a strong 49ers team.
"I make no excuses, and whether you want to talk travel, whatever, we just weren’t good enough in that window," he told reporters after the game. "I didn’t coach good enough in that window. I didn’t coach good enough and we’ll look at it, we’ll move forward and that where we’re at right now."
On the other hand, the 49ers' newest star wide receiver, Mike Evans, believed that being in Australia for days played a pivotal part in helping them win the game.
In his first regular-season game in a 49ers uniform, the 33-year-old recorded 49 receiving yards with six receptions on seven targets to go along with one touchdown as San Francisco, as a unit, looked sharper than Los Angeles.
"I know it was definitely worth it coming a little bit early," he began to reporters. "I feel like we got acclimated. [The team] did a great job of getting us there early. And all the guys, we attacked it. We didn't complain. We actually enjoyed being out here in Melbourne."
The 49ers are back in action on Sept. 20 against the Miami Dolphins, while the Rams' next game will be against the New York Giants the next day.