49ers 27, Rams 7: Purdy Finds Three Receivers in Melbourne

September 10, 2026 - Melbourne - The kickoff was 10:35 a.m. local. The building still sounded full. One hundred thousand people watched the NFL's first regular-season game in Australia, and after Kyren Williams scored the first Australian touchdown, they watched San Francisco take the rest.

Brock Purdy completed 25 of 34 for 205 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. The San Francisco 49ers beat the Los Angeles Rams 27-7 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The crowd was 100,021, the seventh-largest regular-season crowd in NFL history. Kyle Shanahan said the hulking arena felt gladiator-ish. Sean McVay's club flew in 28 hours before kickoff and left with 290 yards and one score.

Purdy found three receivers. Demarcus Robinson, Mike Evans in a 49ers debut, and Deebo Samuel all scored. Matthew Stafford finished 15 of 25 for 155 yards and a pick. He said the Rams probably only had two good drives.

A 20-yard start, then a 39-yard answer

Eddy Pineiro opened it from 20 after a 15-play, 65-yard grind. 3-0. Williams punched in from 5 yards to start the second quarter, the first NFL touchdown on Australian grass. 7-3 Rams.

The quarterbacks traded interceptions. Renardo Green picked Stafford on a deep ball for Puka Nacua. Purdy shook off his own pick and hit Robinson, a former Ram, on a 39-yard post. Nine plays, 86 yards. 10-7 at the break.

Evans already had five catches. Shanahan finally had a fade in the red zone. Purdy threw it. Evans finished from 2 yards on the first drive of the second half, after Samuel's 45-yard kickoff return. 17-7. Evans closed his debut with six catches for 49 yards and that score.

Stuffed at the 1, then 99 yards the other way

Los Angeles drove. Nacua was ruled down inches outside the goal line. Stafford tried to sneak it on fourth-and-goal from the 1. Osa Odighizuwa met him. Turnover on downs.

San Francisco went 99 yards. Purdy hit Samuel from 15. 24-7.

Fred Warner then forced Tyler Higbee to fumble. Keion White recovered. Pineiro drilled a 56-yarder. 27-7. Warner, back from the ankle injury that cost him time in 2025, finished with 11 tackles (5 solo, 6 assists) and passed Patrick Willis for the most in 49ers history.

Christian McCaffrey ran 10 times for 68 yards. Rookie Kaelon Black added 14 carries for 65 in his debut. San Francisco rushed for 174 and did not sack Purdy once. Williams ran 11 times for 41 and the Rams' only score. Nacua caught five for 74. Myles Garrett, in a Rams debut after a camp knee issue, recorded zero tackles. He called it the worst version of himself he had put on a field.

Raheem Morris, the former Rams coordinator now running San Francisco's defense, held last season's best offense to one touchdown. The 49ers scored the final 24 points. The travel debate will follow McVay home. The score already did.

AthX Engine after the first game Down Under

AthX Engine NFL scoring already has the Week 1 lines in. Lake's interception lands at 67.00, the top total in this game because the DB card pays takeaways. Green's pick is 41.50. Purdy's three scores are 39.65. Warner is 37.50. Samuel's six catches and a touchdown are 27.70. San Francisco's team line is 86.75, sixth on the Week 1 board.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay after a 27-7 opener in Melbourne. They move together. They are not the same number.

Track Purdy, McCaffrey, Stafford, and both clubs on the marketplace. Miami visits San Francisco on Sept. 20. The New York Giants visit the Rams on Monday night.

*Sources: AP recap (ESPN), 49ers.com, CBS Sports, The Guardian. AthX Engine Week 1 lines scored from nflverse weekly stats. Information only; not financial advice.*