Rams' 36-Hour Melbourne Trip Before 49ers Clash

The Los Angeles Rams touched down in Melbourne just before dawn on Thursday and plan to be in the air again by sunset on Friday, a stopover of roughly 36 hours squeezed between two 15-hour flights.

The short trip is deliberate. The Rams decided months ago to skip the sightseeing that usually comes with an international fixture, choosing instead to keep their body clocks on California time before facing the San Francisco 49ers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday, kickoff 10:35am local time. It is the NFL's first regular-season game in Australia.

Coach Sean McVay said the approach gives his team the best chance of starting the season with a win. "We're well-rested. We feel good," he said on Thursday after a short practice at Marvel Stadium, the retractable-roof venue 3.5 kilometres from the MCG. He said many players "got to sleep through the night" on the flight from Los Angeles: "Guys were comfortable, and they seemed fresh. Get a good rest tonight, and be ready to rock tomorrow."

The Rams' one full day in the city went on rest and a light training session, with only a brief taste of Melbourne itself. Receiver Davante Adams acknowledged the trade-off. "Obviously, we would love to have the opportunity to connect with the fans out here a little bit more, but we did what we could today, getting out and trying some coffee and getting out on the streets," he said. "We had a chance to meet and see some of the fans, so we did as much as we could with our travel schedule."

The 49ers took a different route, arriving in Australia more than a week before the game. The contrast between the two teams' schedules has not gone down well locally, where the Rams' brief stay has drawn criticism.

The compressed itinerary means the MCG crowd, expected to fill much of the 100,000-seat stadium, will see a Rams team that has barely set foot in the city hosting it. Whether that trade-off pays off will not be clear until the two teams are on the field on Friday.