It's really important not to overreact to what you see in Week 1 of the NFL season. Week 1 can be one of the biggest liars.
But we're going to do it anyway.
The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers met for a Week 1 matchup in Australia, the first NFL game ever played there. After everything that transpired in the 2026 offseason, the game was expected to heavily favor the new-look Rams, who brought in Myles Garrett, Trent McDuffie, and Aaron Donald this offseason.
Even though Donald didn't play in this game as he ramps back up to game speed, The Rams getting smacked around like they did (27-7) was rather jaw-dropping. And we have a handful of overreactions to the game that we have to talk through.
3 overreactions to Rams' ugly loss to 49ers in Week 1
1. The Rams overpaid (badly) for Myles Garrett
The Rams obviously traded a king's ransom to the Cleveland Browns this offseason to get Myles Garrett in a trade. Coming off of a truly historic season, their investment was justified.
Garrett racked up an NFL-record 23 sacks last season, along with 33 tackles for loss. The Rams acquiring him has felt all offseason like an unfair advantage, but the 49ers were able to neutralize him rather easily.
On 27 pass rush snaps against the 49ers, Garrett didn't have any pressures. As in, zero.
It's the first time since 2018 he's been held without a pressure in a game. Needless to say, that's not the level of impact the Rams and their fans were expecting after giving up Jared Verse and a ton of draft picks to get Garrett to Los Angeles.
After the game, Garrett admitted he wasn't feeling right due to a knee issue he's been dealing with. And that may be the most concerning revelation of all.
The fact that Garrett was out on the field for 6 special teams snaps was not surprising. The fact that he was out there for 6 special teams snaps while dealing with discomfort (or whatever he would call it) in his knee is alarming.
Still, there's too much season left to say the Rams badly overpaid for Garrett. We've got to give this one time.
Verdict: Major overreaction (with some slight worry)
2. Kyle Shanahan is the best head coach in the NFL
Is Kyle Shanahan the most accomplished head coach in the NFL right now? No, he isn't. He doesn't have the most hardware. He hasn't been able to win a Super Bowl.
But while Super Bowl wins can give us a great indicator of how good a coach is, they simply cannot be the only trump card when it comes to how good a coach is. Would you take Nick Sirianni over Kyle Shanahan as a head coach for your team right now?
Absolutely not.
Last season, Shanahan led his team to 12 wins despite missing Brock Purdy for a good chunk of the season. And not only were the 49ers missing Purdy, but they suffered way more injuries than most teams could reasonably be expected to deal with. Yet they were still contenders.
Then, you see Shanahan and his team come out swinging in this game with all of the talk this offseason about electrical substations (again), Daejon Love, and 49ers owner Jed York getting in the headlines for the wrong reasons. There were plenty of distractions that could have excused a poor performance from the 49ers, especially playing in weird conditions in Australia with the time change.
The way his team dominated speaks volumes, especially in a game against the Rams.
Somehow, news of Shanahan getting an extension slipped through the cracks until after this game. It's well-deserved, and he's established himself as one of the best in the NFL, if not the best.
Verdict: Not an overreaction, just a good take
3. Brock Purdy might be an MVP candidate
Watching Brock Purdy play against the Los Angeles Rams, it's easy to forget just how good this guy is when he's playing at full strength.
Purdy did such a great job of distributing the ball, but what he reminded all of us in this game against the 49ers is how good he is with his legs. Purdy is not really known for being a "dual threat" at the quarterback position, but he definitely can be.
His "swag" after big runs needs a little refining, however.
Against the Rams, he completed 73.5 percent of his throws with 3 TDs and an interception. He added another 29 yards as a runner with a long of 18 yards.
Are we sleeping on Purdy as a possible MVP candidate?
Maybe. He's been an MVP finalist in the past (4th in 2023), so it's not out of the realm of possibility, especially if he's running Kyle Shanahan's offense like we saw in Week 1.
Verdict: Not an overreaction
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