The San Francisco 49ers properly handled how to play what was the NFL's first-ever game in Australia: getting there early, adjusting to the time zone and mingling with the locals in Melbourne ahead of time.
The Los Angeles Rams, meanwhile, did not.
Arriving in Australia less than two days before kickoff, L.A. not only looked sluggish in the Niners' 27-7 victory but also failed to capitalize on the crowd presence, despite the fact the NFL granted Los Angeles marketing rights to the continent.
It was a big-time oops, and head coach Sean McVay might've doubled down on the oopsies with some of his postgame comments.
Sean McVay doesn't want Rams to play in Australia 'ever again'
The Rams have already received plenty of criticism for how they handled Week 1, so it's understandable why McVay would be a little miffed about such questions when he's now focused on how his team can bounce back against the New York Giants in Week 2.
That said, as shared by Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, McVay's response to how he and L.A. might approach subsequent trips down under is surely going to garner some reactions despite whatever intent the coach had.
"It’s almost like you try to do the Men in Black thing where you say, 'Hey, I don’t remember what happened. That was so long ago,'" McVay said on Thursday, via Florio. "We’re not playing in Australia ever again, I hope. Not because it wasn’t a great atmosphere, that’ll get taken out of context."
Related story: 49ers set an Australian precedent other NFL teams won't be able to ignore
It's good McVay added the "great atmosphere" part, because his words just before that portion would've effectively sealed Los Angeles' future fate in Australia, and not in a good way.
Still, the fact he's wishing L.A. doesn't have to play down under again isn't exactly the appropriate way to sell the Rams to a fanbase eager for more American football. And it goes in complete contrast to what the NFL wants to do with global expansion, particularly when looking at Los Angeles' international marketing rights.
It might've been more appropriate for McVay to simply acknowledge the lessons learned from his team's first trip down under, promising to apply them the next go-around.
Regardless, San Francisco can chuckle a bit with the knowledge it helped give McVay some serious nightmares and headaches about playing games in Australia.
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