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Head coach\u00a0<\/span>Sean McVay<\/a>\u00a0and others associated with the Los Angeles Rams<\/a>\u00a0didn’t hide throughout the summer that they weren’t thrilled about having to open the 2026 season with a game held in Melbourne, Australia.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Coming off his team’s 27-7 Week 1 loss to the rival San Francisco 49ers<\/a>, McVay sent a strong message to the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>NFL<\/span><\/span><\/a> about the Rams possibly participating in future Australia games while speaking with reporters on Thursday.<\/p>\n “It\u2019s almost like you try to do the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>‘Men in Black’<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0thing where you say, ‘Hey, I don\u2019t remember what happened. That was so long ago,'” McVay explained, per\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Mike Florio<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0of Pro Football Talk. “We\u2019re not playing in Australia ever again, I hope. Not because it wasn\u2019t a great atmosphere. That\u2019ll get taken out of context.”\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Before the Week 1 contest got underway, a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>report<\/span><\/span>\u00a0revealed that the Rams “sent 15 staffers over the last two years” abroad and “tracked their bodies and sleep rhythms” to prepare for a game held in a foreign country such as Australia. The Rams then raised eyebrows when they arrived roughly 28 hours before the kickoff of their season opener, while the 49ers made their trip a week before the game to fully adjust to the time difference.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Following their win, 49ers linebacker Fred Warner<\/a>\u00a0said that he\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>felt<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0the Rams “kinda withered away” as the game went on. Later, ESPN NFL\u00a0insider\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Peter Schrager said<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0that the Rams “didn’t look like they belonged on the same field as the<\/span> 49ers” in Australia.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n A\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>story<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0from this week pointed out that the Rams “seemed to\u00a0<\/span>approach the Australia trip\u00a0<\/span>with the excitement of a teenager asked to take out the trash.” \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n What’s done is done, and a Rams team that entered Australia as the heavy favorites<\/a> to win Super Bowl LXI in February 2027 will next host the 1-0\u00a0<\/span>New York Giants<\/a> this coming Monday night. As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Los Angeles as a seven-point betting favorite for that matchup.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBottom line is, I like the way that I feel of our preparation, eyes moving forward, chest out, chin up, eyes forward, and let\u2019s go be about it,” McVay said about getting his team ready to face the Giants. “Let\u2019s go prepare the right way. Let\u2019s have great focus and concentration. Let\u2019s have a great energy and an edge in which we prepare and compete with, and then let\u2019s go be ready to go against a really damn good football team. What they looked like in Week 1, we got a great challenge ahead. That\u2019s what every week is. We\u2019re excited to compete. All we can do is really have a great day of preparation today.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\nSean McVay has this hope for Rams about future Australia games<\/h2>\n
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Sean McVay discusses how Rams will bounce back in Week 2<\/h2>\n
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