Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) makes a pass against the San Francisco 49ers at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Los Angeles Rams didn't look like the team many people have hyped up over recent months in their season opener against the San Francisco 49ers, losing 27-7. Some would blame it on their travel plans to Australia, but the Rams are simply saying they didn't play their brand of winning football.
If the latter is true, that means there could be some concern about how the season pans out for them, but NFL legend Steve Young is one person who isn't panicking after one game.
“The Rams are fine, but as you throw teams together and the dynamics work in the locker room a little bit differently and everything else kind of changes,” Young said on the Rich Eisen Show. “Football's a kind of weird emotional game where all summer they've talked, they've read about how great they are. Well, they haven't played a game. You're great, and they get anointed, and sometimes it gets into your head, and then you don't work as hard, you're not as focused, you're not as great, you're not as gritty as you were last year. That part needs to get tested as well.
💻 @SteveYoungQB
How concerned is the @ProFootballHOF'er after what he saw from #RamsHouse last night in Australia?#NFL pic.twitter.com/GnJdpf8abH
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) September 11, 2026
“I'm not overreacting anything about the Rams game, but the way the league is today, you have to be a little wary that a new season is a truly new season, unlike 15 years ago. For teams, you gotta be wary, because maybe they're a team that got aged and didn't get to stay healthy, and then all of a sudden they're in the middle of the pack.”
The Rams definitely have the talent on their team to be one of the best in the league this season, but that talent has to come together as a unit and play well. That might be their biggest thing this season, and as the year continues, they should get more comfortable playing with each other.
For now, there doesn't seem like a need to panic.