Sean McVay said he hoped the Rams wouldn’t have to play in Australia ever again.
His comments immediately went viral because of the team’s decision to fly into Melbourne late and the 27-7 beatdown handed to the Super Bowl favorites by the 49ers.
Kyle Shanahan was asked the same question Friday about returning to Australia, and he quickly defended McVay in his response.
“You’re really trying to get me in trouble,” Shanahan said. “It’s just, you don’t want it to come off the wrong way, how you word it. Just like Sean doesn’t want to.
“Seventeen games are very tough. Every game is so tough and what you put into it for seven days. Anytime you put more travel on it, it makes it a lot harder.
“That’s something no team really wishes for, whether it’s 16 hours away or five hours away. The farther, the harder. All international games are like that, too, with that being the farthest. That’s why you always hope it’s timed out where you can have a bye week after.”
There’s always going to be a push and pull between the business side of the NFL and the football side. Football players and coaches thrive on a routine week in and week out. When that routine is disrupted, it can make preparation for a game difficult.
On the other hand, the expansion of the sport is important, and the 49ers embraced their weeklong trip to Australia. San Francisco fulfilled its international duties and kicked off the 2026 season in dominant fashion.
Now, it’s time to see whether the 49ers will continue trending upward with a Week 2 matchup against the Dolphins.
