The San Francisco 49ers now officially know when their first game of next season is going to take place. They'll make the long trek to Australia to face off against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne on Thursday, Sept. 10 at 5:35 p.m. PT, while the game will actually be Friday morning Australia time.
Some Niners players were clearly not thrilled when this news was announced. Running back Christian McCaffrey feels Australia is a bit too far to go play a game, and tight end George Kittle has joked about all the traveling San Francisco has to do next season since it also has a game in Mexico City.
It’s unfortunate for the 49ers that this game will have a lot riding on it. They are taking on the Rams, and with how tight the NFC West was last season, every single game the Niners play against L.A. and Seattle Seahawks is going to have a playoff feel.
But, beyond the result of the game, the 49ers also have to know that a true win in Australia would just be if the roster simply returned to the United States in one piece.
Injuries ravaged the Niners last season, and the team didn’t even leave the country. It has to make fans a bit skittish that the 49ers, already injury-prone given the age of so many of their stars, will be traveling so much, which means more jet lag and potential wear and tear on the body.
More conspiracy-minded fans may be relieved that the travel schedule at least gets them further away from the electrical substation in Santa Clara, which the tin-foil hat crowd blames the team’s injuries on.
But if the 49ers can at least come back to California and Mike Evans’ ACL is still intact, that should be a win in everyone’s book.
San Francisco’s schedule is going to be harder this year, so it is unlikely it could have a repeat of last year’s rash of injuries and still be competitive. Keep in mind the 49ers are competing against the Rams and Seahawks, the two teams who squared off in the NFC Championship game last season. That game truly felt like the actual Super Bowl because the Rams probably would've made quick work of the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, just like Seattle did.
Health will be of utmost importance if the 49ers want to be competitive next season, so if they can just stay healthy, then the Melbourne sojourn will have been a success.