Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay began his age 40 season Thursday with a lopsided division loss on international soil.
NFL games count wherever and whenever they’re contested so long as “The Shield” is propped somewhere, and it surely was visible during the San Francisco 49ers’ 27-7 rout of the Rams.
With that, can we better amplify McVay’s bout of little-brother syndrome with Niners counterpart Kyle Shanahan before these NFC West rivals play again in San Francisco in Week 14? Thursday’s result Down Under gave Shanahan a 12-7 edge in regular-season meetings against McVay, yet McVay somehow comes off as the savvy bully before kickoff.
If that ring from Super Bowl LVI still propels McVay’s perception, so be it. He holds one more title than Shanahan, who has guided San Francisco to two Super Bowls in the past seven seasons, and much of his brethren preparing to lead their own teams in Week 1.
But Shanahan at least deserves greater due. After coaching the injury-ravaged Niners to 12 victories last season, he steered a far more complete unit to a decisive victory Thursday to get an early upper hand on Super-Bowl-or-bust LA.
The Niners entered the season with less glitzy aspirations, fogged perhaps by off-field controversy surrounding the way the organization handled Shanahan’s offseason car crash. But the August arrest of owner Jed York for his involvement in a prostitution ring was exponentially more distracting, right?
At any rate, Shanahan helped the locker room remain focused. Overreacting to Week 1 standalone games may be a rite of passage this time of year, but after Thursday, would it be so farfetched to imagine the Niners playing in Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in February?
Quarterback Brock Purdy outperformed Rams darling Matthew Stafford, passing for three touchdowns and compiling a 105.6 passer rating. San Francisco averaged 5.8 yards on the ground as the offensive line helped neutralize reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, a prized offseason pickup in a trade with the Cleveland Browns.
After setting the league’s single-season sack record in 2025, Garrett was held off the stat sheet, finishing with one less tackle than Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua.
While Garrett said after the game that he isn’t in full health, producing “the worst version of myself that I’ve put out there,” San Fran’s scheming didn’t reflect it.
Garrett’s self-assessment wasn’t apparent to Niners left tackle Trent Williams, anyway.
“I mean, he’s one of those players where it’s just, you know, no matter what he’s going through, it’s still not an easy out for anybody,” Williams said.
Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald didn’t travel with the team as he keeps ramping up after coming out of a two-plus year retirement on Aug. 30.
Of course, that absence shouldn’t have contributed much to a 20-point gulf with LA’s roster so highly regarded well before Donald decided to return.
Are the Rams still for real? Did Netflix analyst Michael Irvin don a kangaroo coat during Thursday’s broadcast?
We know the answer to both questions is affirmative. Just like Shanahan’s steady impact on the Rams’ big brother by the bay.
