LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sean McVay has never been afraid to buck conventional NFL logic, and he is doing so once again with the Los Angeles Rams’ unusual travel plans for their season opener in Australia.
The Rams are leaving Southern California on Tuesday night and will arrive in Australia on Thursday, roughly 24 hours before their game against the San Francisco 49ers kicks off at 10:35 a.m. local time on Friday morning at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The Niners will spend one week in Melbourne, having arrived last Friday for what is expected to be the first of several NFL regular-season games in a country and venue traditionally associated with cricket and Australian rules football.
“It doesn’t mean that we think we’re right and a different approach is wrong,” McVay said Sunday. “It’s just what we think is best based on the things that we’ve done and what we’ve learned over our time here.”
McVay said the plan was influenced in part by how the Rams approached their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London last October, when they arrived on Saturday morning for a Sunday afternoon start. They rolled to a comfortable 35-7 win at Wembley Stadium.
However, they had already spent a week on the East Coast after playing at the Baltimore Ravens, reducing both the flight’s length and impact of adjusting to a new time zone. This time, the Rams will be spending approximately 15 hours in the air, albeit with lie-flat seats available to all players and coaches.
“I feel like we’re just keeping it as normal as we possibly can,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “Sunday (is) like a Wednesday for us in our world. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, hop on the plane and go. We obviously have experience with doing it (in a) different direction, all that kind of stuff, I understand last year in London, but it felt like it worked out for us.”
How the two NFC West foes fare in the game and in the following weeks after their contrasting routes could have teams around the league looking to copy the more successful model in years to come.
There are nine international games scheduled this season, and NFL owners approved plans in May to play the maximum of 10 games allowed under the current collective bargaining agreement beginning in 2027. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has expressed interest in having every team play one international game each season for a total of 16.
The league already has a multi-year contract with Visit Victoria, the official state tourism company, to host games in Melbourne.
With the NFL granting the Rams global marketing rights in Japan, South Korea, and China, along with being one of four teams to have marketing rights to Australia and New Zealand, this could be the first of many long road trips to Australasia or the Pacific Rim for McVay and his club.
“We’ve tested it out with some guys and we feel like it’s been positive, but that’s what went into the approach,” McVay said.
The Rams expect to have star wide receiver Puka Nacua and starting left tackle Alaric Jackson available for the season opener despite being under investigation to determine if they violated the NFL's personal conduct policy, McVay said.
Nacua is being sued for allegedly biting a woman and making an antisemitic statement.
Jackson was arrested in June on suspicion of felony domestic violence but was not charged after the case was assigned for a pre-filing diversion. He was previously suspended two games without pay in 2024 for violating the league's personal conduct policy,
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Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay speaks after an NFL preseason football game against the Los Angeles Chargers Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Payton Zdroik, above, reaches for the ball as he recovers a fumble during the second half of an NFL preseason football game against the Los Angeles Chargers Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Katie Chin)
