I feel like everything that we spoke about for a half year now is all for not because I am not sugar coating the situation here, we looked awful on pretty much every level besides maybe the sign of brilliance we saw with Puka Nacua. At the same time, it got so bad that Matt Stafford was throwing passes into players all day and as close as possible for whomever to make the catch. Eventually, he did get an opened Tight End which again, took a while. The Rams coaches are trying to set aside the effects of the jet lag with their travel plan, but man, stop trying to reinvent the wheel. It is as if the entire world was looking to see how Coach McVay was going to plan what is a plane ride to Australia. I also think everyone over thunk things way too much because again, its a plane ride and what was a chartered airplane with beds and plenty of room to rest. Besides, you are making multi milliones of dollars playing one of the best jobs ever invented by the jobs gods to help to figure it out. Figure it out. To me, it does not make any sense to fly 15 hours as close to game day as possible with the hope of rebounding day two to be able to play a 60 minute game versus another professional team. Logic would tell me that you need a full day to rebound.

McVay makes no bones about how arriving in Melbourne 24 hours before the game was the correct way to deal. However, the Rams were not able to catch up to how the Niners played. The Niners hit harder. They played harder. They were quicker. They had 4 on 1’s it seemed like much of the game. They had some new moves around the line by putting people in oddly looped motion before many snaps and many run plays. It actually looked like they did it in the 60’s and maybe in college. I am not sure if I ever saw being in motion using those loops instead of running along the line. I honestly did not even know you could go in motion any other way besides straight and parallel to the line. Or, I knew that rule changed but again, I still thought it was about staying in line and not running an almost full egg motion. They just could not even come close to coming back after that slow start and jet lag, losing 27-7. The Defense looked weak for the most part again, allowing easy catches with the WR’s 5 to 7 yards away from any Defensive Back. I am not even getting into the 49’ers constant 3 to 7 yard passes which by the way coaching staff, they are the ones that made that up way back in the 80’s and 90’s with Joe Montana doing those 5 yard pass plays that get 15 to 20 yards a play. The Defense did almost sack Brock Purdy 8 to 15 times but could never nail it home.

Myles Garrett was noticebly breathing rather hard early in the game. “This is a humbling day for us,” said McVay. “Sometimes sports can humble you, and today was one of those days. I make no excuses. Whether you want to say it was about the travel, we just weren’t good enough in that window.” Matthew Stafford and the offense could not do much in the first half. He was 4-for-11 with only 65 yards in the first two quarters, and the offense was just 1-for-5 on third downs. Without that 41-yard completion to wide receiver Puka Nacua that set up a Kyren Williams touchdown, the Rams were held scoreless and again, that was Puka catching and running after a rather badly thrown pass that was up for grabs. So, when your strategy is to merely throw the balls near wide recievers with the hope or knowledge how the Wide Receiver would have to make the miraculous catches is not a great strategy.

The Rams new edge rusher Myles Garrett did not have one stat in the game, however, he did get held a lot all game and he did get close a few times. The defense got close many times which again, brings me back to not being tarined to play and entire game. It was the first time since 2018 that he was held without any stats. Garrett said after the game that he didn’t feel 100 percent and felt pain throughout the game which I did not even know was an issue. This also would have beena good time to have Aaron Donald play because even with that issue, what are we doing with it? Is he on the team or is he not? Is he practicing or not? Is he doing well or not? is he coming to Australia or is he not?

What is going on with this team right now? No one seems to know anything but that we may have flown to Australia wrong considering the time zone differences. I ask, as opposed to what? Are you not supposed to play really well or again, what are we doing when the top defender in the league realizes after game one that he must get back to where he was last season. That is when you realize that is where we need to be in order to win games? Now, you realize it? After game 1? That makes zero point zero sense.

When Quentin Lake intercepted Brock Purdy in the first half, Stafford threw an interception on the next drive. Purdy then hit Demarcus Robinson for a 39-yard touchdown with cornerback Trent McDuffie 3 to 5 yards behind him which again, is where we left off after that last game against the Seahawks. The Rams’ newest players that are supposed to elevate the Rams Defense instantly did not come to play at this first game of the season.

The Rams were so out of whack without any plan to control the offense. It was like that the entire game, there was no flow and again, Stafford threw the ball up for grabs all game. The run game would get flowing and then Coach McVay overdoes the run part of the game calling for one or two run plays too much and in a row. Both McVay and Stafford stated after the game that there was a lack of ‘communication’ on offense. “We just didn’t do things that we’re accustomed to doing,” said Stafford. “That’s just communication and operating. Too many times we’re on different pages.” Then, by that standard, getting starters to play in preseason games may need to come back because if that was the case, those are the things you accomplish during the preseason.

Following the Jonas Brothers’ halftime set, Brock Purdy scored again right away when the other newcomer and part of the savior of the defense, Jaylen Watson, was beat again by Mike Evans, who had a major day catching passes but this time for another quick touchdown. Mike Evans had to have had his best game ever last night although he did not play at all last season. This was his first game back and it was a big day for him and the Niners.

The Rams then moved down field to the one-yard line and what does McVay choose to do? The very thing that failed every time both times Stafford gets stopped at the goal line. He was 0-2 with goal line runs last year and so I have to ask, out of all run plays the Rams use every game, that is the call? To run someone that was 0-2 last year as what? A surprise? You have two of the top runners in the league along with a supposedly great offensive line to go 36 inches and the choice is to make it so hard for ourselves by trying the very play that fails 100% of the time. We chose to do the very play that we have not executed in two seasons. We have four running backs that could all start on any team in the NFL — or if not start, they can play way more on other teams is how great they all are — and again, we ask the most awkwardly running guy to try to barrel through a pile of people that weigh above 200lbs each. Why make it that hard on ourselves is just beyond me.

I think that we should have gone for the touchdown, do not get me wrong, and with transparency, I did not even put together until right now how we would have been behind by only one score if we did opt for the field goal attempt. I am just saying that out of every run play in that playbook, this should have been the very last choice to try a Stafford sneak on the half yard line. Out of every running tool, including two of the top runners in the league, we chose something we have not executed in a real game in over two seasons. As a new rule since I must overstate the obvious yet again, it is never good if Stafford is chosen to or has to run the ball. That generally means we are in trouble behind the line and honestly, that is all that it means, so again, why was that the call? That also made zero point zero sense to me.

Then, you sit there daydreaming about how this Defense that should be ready to not only step up to create some type of big play considering the short field, they should have also found some way to swarm the quarterback in the end zone for a safety or to cause an interception for a touchdown. Instead, they go nowhere on one play and then boom, the next play is one of those 4-yard pass plays that goes for 15 yards and the next thing I know, this brand-spanking-new Defense is allowing the 49ers to go 99 yards in 11 plays for another touchdown.

Brock Purdy got touched, or what they call a “hit,” today, one time. That’s hard to do let alone by the one defense most anticipated to see in years. I feel like I could be pushed into Purdy myself one time or better yet, I bet I could fall down, crawl to his feet and touch his cleat one time if I played in that game. I feel like I could do that one time in 60 minutes. Moving on, Stafford had nine completions until about there being 13 minutes left in the game. He was 3-for-10 on pass plays more than 10 yards. That’s also hard to do let alone by the NFL’s Most Valuable Player last year.

They only created six pressures, and no one had more than two chances on Defense, which I will reiterate, there was a span of time when that defense almost converged many times, or at least a few times. Did we blitz? I don’t even remember which, I know we had to have at some time, but man, it was hard to watch at times.

Plus, that stadium is huge; for some reason, I see mistakes, the play seemed slower to me or something surreal, and I also hate that gap between the players and the field, and the stands. I am becoming on the fence about these travel-to games across the globe. I know there are talks about a Mexico City team or franchise, it is just too much. Even trying to follow along to figure out where games are being aired on TV and I don’t know, it is getting a bit much if you consider it is game one.

It did feel like a Super Bowl. That would be a cool idea to have Super Bowl games around the world. Then, you can get there for two weeks and chill a bit. Regardless, what else?

The special teams that we added this year was underwhelming last night. Our Special Teams has been underwhelming now for years. Ever since the John Fassell era, which is when and why I realized that I took that for granted for many years. He was our fixture in that coaching spot for a long time. Xavier Smith is fine but again, that is all we have had for years now — fine. Deebo Samuel Jr., or whatever his name is, had a big play actually last night on Special Teams. Remember we could have gotten him? I don’t know where he could fit it considering he had a mega great game last night.

Or, it could also be Kyle Shanahan. I say that a lot in our games because quite frankly, he outcoaches McVay a lot. Last night, McVay was not calling plays well at all. That one-yard goal line debacle was just the most glaring one. I think everyone tried to do too much instead of playing within the game and as a great team. Stafford tried to do way too much. Garrett tried to do way too much too fast and he was winded in the 2nd quarter. Stafford tried to needle the ball through a pinhole and having to somehow loft the ball in between players virtually on every pass play. Even the big play that led to the Rams touchdown was all Puka. Puka has this odd way of almost cupping the ball with two hands, almost like tucking it in under his chest so he can run another 15 yards, which he somehow still does. He is excellent.

I am not sure what else but I shut down way early yesterday and so I am going to salvage this week at work. Right now though, the one thing I kept trying to talk myself into and then I had to remind myself that because no one has played in games yet, it will take a quarter to get the blood moving so to speak. I thought everything was in like slow motion until the 2nd Quarter.

Anyway, this is the only game we have been able to watch which ironically, in preseason games two and one, I was very impressed with our 3rd stringers and 4th stringers and so unless the other teams had worse backups, I thought those guys played great football. Evidently, there will be no sightseeing for the team, and for anyone that went over to Australia, we now have until the next Monday Night Football game a week from this Monday. We have plenty of time to wake up and then I get to cover the game daily starting next week versus the New York Giants.

And very last, it is implied that we all know that 17 teams have lost game one of the season going onto winning a Super Bowl. It is time for the Rams to course correct and yeah, wake up. Play the game. Get rid of any distraction. Play the game. Stop overthinking and play as a team. Play the game. If you are some of the best players in the NFL, the team should win games.

The Seahawks lost to the 49ers in game one — and went on to win it all this year.