One team on Thursday night looked like they were used to all the circumstances around playing on the other side of the world, while the other looked like they hobbled into Australia a little too close to game time.
The San Francisco 49ers decimated the Los Angeles Rams to the tune of a 27-7 rout in Melbourne, Australia. There might have been some moments where the game felt close early on, but once the 49ers got rolling, there was no stopping them.
A handful of players deserve a spot on the season’s first-three stars list, but unfortunately only three can make it (it’s kind of in the title). Mike Evans had six receptions, all six resulting in a first down or a touchdown. Deebo Samuel wasn’t too far behind with six receptions of his own. Renardo Green hauled in the first interception of his career. The 49ers had a two-headed running back room with Christian McCaffrey and Kaelon Black.
But despite how those honorable mentions looked, here are the three stars from the 49ers’ opening-night win over the Rams:
**3rd star: LT Trent Williams**
Myles Garrett this. Myles Garrett that. People were so wrapped up in the former Cleveland Brown that they forgot the 49ers have the greatest offensive tackle to ever play the game.
The 49ers offensive line as a whole dominated the coveted Rams front four all Thursday night but it was Trent Williams who had to deal with the NFL single-season sack record holder. The 49ers line held the Rams pass rush to just six pressures, five quarterback hurries, and kept Brock Purdy clean with no sacks.
But let’s focus on the left side of the line. Williams allowed two pressures and two hurries, but when Garrett was against him, it was lights out for the defending Defensive Player of the Year. Garrett finished with just one pressure, one hurry, and one sack, not exactly the stat line he was expecting for his debut with Los Angeles.
Oh, and did I mention Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (1) finished with more tackles than Garrett (0)?
All we heard entering this game was how could the 49ers middling offensive line ever stop Garrett? Well, the answer was big Trent Williams.
It was an ugly start. Purdy’s second-quarter interception was about as bad as interceptions can get. But from there, Purdy settled in and was as close to perfect as you could ask.
The interception came when Quentin Lake dropped back into coverage off the line of scrimmage, something Purdy obviously didn’t notice, handing Lake maybe the easiest interception of his career. It came with the Rams up 7-3 and could have been a turning point in the game, but Matthew Stafford followed with an interception of his own, and the threat was wiped out.
Purdy would go 12-for-14 with three touchdowns from that point on.
He would make the Rams pay almost instantly, dropping a dime on the following drive on a deep shot to Demarcus Robinson for a 39-yard touchdown, for what proved to be the game-winning score that gave the 49ers a 10-7 lead.
San Francisco would get the ball to start the second half and Purdy would get back to work. Christian McCaffrey would help move the ball with a pair of good runs, but Purdy wouldn’t throw an incomplete pass with his three attempts on the drive. He would close the drive with a beautifully thrown fade route ball (one Jim Harbaugh would have been proud of) to Mike Evans for his second touchdown pass of the evening.
Then would come Purdy’s pièce de résistance of the evening. With the 49ers offense starting at its own 1-yard-line and their backs against the wall, Purdy would cook. The drive started with a quick 14-yard gain to Luke Farrell to get San Francisco out of the shade of their own goalposts. Then another 13-yard gain to Deebo Samuel to get the ball near midfield. A few plays later, Purdy would connect with Samuel again for a 15-yard score, his third and final touchdown pass of the game.
Back against the goal line, and Purdy goes four-for-four for 48 yards (including two runs combining for 26 yards) for a dagger 99-yard drive. An insane bounceback from his sluggish start.
How much better does the 49ers defense feel with No. 54 at the heart of it?
After his 2025 ended prematurely because of injury, Warner wasted no time to remind everybody who the best linebacker in the league is. On the opening play of the game, Stafford tried to force a pass to Nacua to get his star receiver going, but Warner was there, nearly making a diving interception, settling for a pass breakup to start a three-and-out drive for Los Angeles.
If you know anything about Warner, he might have a near-miss play here and there, but at some point he will make that big play, and Thursday night was no different. His first big play set up the 49ers’ 99-yard touchdown-scoring drive.
With the Rams at the half-yard line still trailing by 10, Sean McVay decided the best course of action would be a quarterback sneak with the 38-year-old Stafford. Unfortunately for the Rams quarterback, Warner was there waiting (with the help of Gracen Halton and Osa Odighizuwa) to stuff the attempt and force the turnover on downs.
If Purdy’s 99-yard drive wasn’t the killshot, Warner went for the Rams’ neck to ensure it was over. With Los Angeles in desperation mode down 17, Stafford and company would get the ball near midfield when Warner would strike again. Stafford would find Tyler Higbee but the tight end would be slowed by Dre Greenlaw, before Warner would come in to knock the ball free with a peanut punch, recovered by Keion White, ending any Los Angeles comeback hopes.
Oh, and Warner led the 49ers with 11 total tackles and five solo. Just a complete and dominating performance from No. 54.
Throughout the season, we will track the three stars of the season by tallying points for each star award using a complex scoring system: three points for being the first star, two for the second, and one for the third. Through Week 1, the standings are:
1. LB Fred Warner - 3 points
2. QB Brock Purdy - 2 points
3. LT Trent Williams - 1 point
See More:
* [San Francisco 49ers Roster](/san-francisco-roster)
* [San Francisco 49ers Scores and Results](/san-francisco-49ers-scores-results)