By Brian Murphy
Wow!
After 60 wonderful minutes of football in Australia, after leaving the purportedly unbeatable Rams as a beaten carcass to die in the bush of the Outback, is it time to recalibrate our feelings about the entirety of the 2026 49ers?
The short answer is: Yes, sports fans.
The Jock Blog has covered all the bad stuff. You know, like Myles Garrett landing in L.A. in June, or the seemingly turbulent nature of the front office, given Paraag Marathe’s departure and Jed York’s embarrassing August. Injuries in training camp became so absurdly commonplace, the word “substation” went from a place to get a sandwich to an electromagnetically-charged national punch line.
And then Aaron Donald came out of retirement and then as Week 1 approached in Melbourne or Mel-bin — geez, they should have just played in Sydney, which we call can pronounce — the debate about sleep science and jet lag took over. The Rams’ strategy of knifing in to Oz like burglars in the night began to find its supporters. Peter Schrager of ESPN, in particular, send out a tweet and video extolling the Rams’ strategy of blowing off the concept of circadian rhythms, or even better — extolling the thought that the Rams, with two years of study and sending more than a dozen emissaries over the years, had hacked into the concept of circadian rhythms and were smarter about it than you were.
Like these tech dudes who think they can solve mortality with an app, the Rams acted like they were playing 4-D chess. The implication was, the 49ers and those who respected the curvature of planet Earth were playing kindergarten checkers.
Breaking news for Schrager, Sean McVay and the tech bros who think they can solve mortality with an app: There is nothing new under the sun, boys.
Respect Mother Earth!
The 49ers were clearly so much sharper than the Rams, so much more ready to play, it makes you want to spend a 16-hour flight home from Australia dancing in the aisles like Mac Jones. From the opening kickoff, where Malik Mustapha flew down the field and popped Jordan Whittington on the Rams’ 17-yard line; to the very next play when Nick Bosa (he’s back!) tossed aside Rams tackle Warren McClendon, Jr. — who weighs 315 pounds — and crunched Matt Stafford into a weak incompletion . . . it was clear.
The 49ers were on cutting edge. The Rams were a dull butter knife.
And from there, came the reminders of what the 49ers can be this season:
— A team led by a quarterback, Brock Purdy, gliding into his prime years, combining artful touchdown fades to big Mike Evans with deep balls to DeMarcus Robinson, adding in smartly timed scrambles (26 yards of Purdy runs on the 99-yard touchdown drive).
— A ground attack that may have finally found a running mate for hard-working Christian McCaffrey, as rookie Kaelon Black earned 14 carries of trust (and 65 yards) from Kyle Shahanan.
— An offensive line that, despite its many critics, can keep Purdy upright, pitching a shutout against tired and wheezing Myles Garrett.
— Perhaps most important, a defense that returns Bosa and Fred (All-Pro Fred) Warner, with a touch of the meaningful sight of Dre Greenlaw. They will work under the new tutelage of coordinator Raheem Morris, who earned the nickname “Ra-Scheme” Morris from a listener today after his multiple looks forced L.A. into the lowest scoring game of Stafford’s Rams career. Heck, Morris’ secondary already has an interception — shout out Renardo Green with a pick, which were so elusive a year ago.
The news came Friday that Shanahan earned a contract extension, pushing back against any narrative that the 49ers are in disarray in the front office. The schedule offers the gettable Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals in Santa Clara the next two weeks. Sure, how the 49ers readjust to the Pacific time zone will be a storyline, but they couldn’t ask for much more of a soft landing than that schedule in the next two weeks.
Is a 3-0 start reasonable before the tough Denver Broncos come to town?
It’s not only reasonable, it’s likely.
So off we go into a 49ers season that looks to be seriously in the mix for big things. Already, they’ve notched a win over the Rams in the race for division tie-breakers. Already, they’ve come together spiritually and emotionally on a bonding trip Down Under. Already, they’ve made the nation’s football fans stop obsessing on the Rams and start remembering who Shanahan’s teams are, year in and year out.
Wow, indeed. Fully ready for a meaningful season of 49ers football.
