The Los Angeles Rams kicked off their season in Melbourne, Australia, with a flat 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on September 11, 2026. This wasn’t some minor stumble; it was a beatdown where the Rams looked anything but ready, raising some serious red flags for the season ahead.
Offense Shoots Itself in the Foot (Again?)
The Rams’ biggest problems were totally self-inflicted, and that’s the kind of stuff that just crushes momentum. Picture this: Stafford throws an underthrown deep corner to Puka Nacua on 3rd & 10 from the 49ers’ 35-yard line, instead of hitting his underneath option, Terrance Ferguson. That was after picking off a Brock Purdy pass, mind you! If they had just kicked the field goal on 4th down, they would have had a 10-3 lead. Later, with 3:46 left in the third quarter and down 10, they turned the ball over on downs. They couldn’t punch it in from 2nd, 3rd, and 4th & Goal, all within the 3-yard line, including a 4th & 1/2 yard. Seriously? Those are absolute must-have situations, and they just blew them.
Run D Got ROLLED, And That’s a Problem
Forget about beating a Kyle Shanahan offense when you can’t stop the run. The Rams’ defense got absolutely gashed, allowing 30 rushing attempts for a staggering 174 yards, which is 5.8 yards per carry. And no, it wasn’t because Aaron Donald was inactive. They just flat-out lost the trenches, getting pushed off the ball consistently. Defensive Coordinator Chris Shula needs to figure out how to counter those 49ers’ chip blocks on his edge guys, because Myles Garrett was a total non-factor against both the run and the pass rush. As Mina Kimes pointed out, their nickel/dime defense was no match for a 49ers run game that looks vastly improved, with Niners running backs averaging 6.5 yards per carry and a more than 50% success rate running into those looks. Yikes.
Primetime Pressure Cooker for LA
Last season, the Rams’ offense thrived because they were always in favorable down and distance situations. Against the 49ers, their 3rd down distances were all over the place: 5 yards, 2 yards, 6 yards, 10 yards, 13 yards, 1 yard, 2 yards, 15 yards, and 10 yards. They only had one true conversion, a 3rd & 2 run by Kyren Williams, with another conversion coming via a defensive pass interference call late in the game. That’s not sustainable. With seven primetime games on their schedule this season, including matchups against the Giants, Broncos, Bills, Chiefs, Packers, and yes, *our* Seahawks, the Rams absolutely have to step up their game.
That primetime clash with our Hawks just got a whole lot more interesting now that we’ve seen this kind of performance from the Rams. Our boys better be watching the film, because there are some real weaknesses to exploit when the Rams come to Lumen Field. Bring on the noise, Seattle!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Turf Show Times.
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