Breaking down the 49ers' win against the Rams in Australia

MELBOURNE, Australia -- As San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner jogged on the field for warmups on Friday morning local time, he couldn't contain his excitement. Warner, who missed all but six games last season with a fractured and dislocated right ankle, repeatedly said to himself, "football, football, football" as he stepped on the field. In that moment it seemed that Warner was finally back. What took place after that was Warner's reminder writ large for the entire 49ers team. In an offseason where much of the hype about the NFC West centered on the Rams and the defending champion Seattle Seahawks as the overwhelming favorites, the Niners traveled 16 hours to Australia to beat the Los Angeles Rams 27-7 and let the world know that they are still a force that will be heard from in 2026. Yes, the 49ers' nucleus of stars is a bit long in the tooth. And injuries are always going to be the looming gray cloud hovering over the team as rookie wideout De'Zhaun Stribling was taken off on a cart and tight end Jake Tonges left with a knee injury. But Warner, defensive end Nick Bosa and tight end George Kittle returned from significant injuries against the Rams with all making an impact in the game. There was receiver Deebo Samuel and linebacker Dre Greenlaw, former beloved Niners who went elsewhere to find out the grass isn't always greener, returning and giving the Rams the type of headaches they did in their first stint with the team. For all the talk about the Rams' splashy offseason moves, the Niners got important contributions from their own big-ticket additions in receiver Mike Evans and defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. There's a long way to go this season but for one week, at least, the Niners were the better, more physical team. The type of team that has all the makings of staying with the Rams and Seahawks for the long haul. Here are the most important things to know for both teams: San Francisco 49ers (1-0) What to make of the QB performance: Niners quarterback Brock Purdy's second-quarter interception could have spiraled into a long day for the Niners offense. Instead, Purdy responded by throwing three touchdowns on San Francisco's next four drives, completing 12-of-14 passes for 125 yards on those possessions. He finished 25-of-34 for 205 yards and three scores with the pick. Purdy said this offseason he wanted to be smarter about when to use his legs to gain yards and when to use them to extend plays to throw the ball down the field and that showed against the Rams as he picked his spots and found ways to make plays on the run. Coming off what Purdy told ESPN was the best training camp of his career, this was a strong start to a potentially big season. Trend to watch: In each of the past three offseasons, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has openly discussed the need to find a running back capable of star Christian McCaffrey's workload. It never happened, culminating with McCaffrey getting a career-high 413 touches last season. Thursday night's opener offered a glimpse of what could be as the Niners leaned on third-round rookie Kaelon Black, kept McCaffrey fresh and punished the Rams with an effective, balanced rushing attack. The Niners finished with 174 yards on 30 attempts for 5.8 per carry. Black ended his debut with 14 rushes for 65 yards while McCaffrey delivered 68 yards on 10 attempts as the Niners pummeled the Rams on the ground and prevented their vaunted pass rush from gaining traction. Most surprising performance: The 49ers defense entered Thursday's game with plenty of big questions, not least of which included whether their young players could take a step forward and if their stars could return to form. It's only one game but the Niners got positive returns on those issues against the Rams' high-powered attack. All told, the Rams had just 122 yards and the Niners won the turnover battle to come away with the win. Cornerback Renardo Green's interception following Purdy's pick got the ball back immediately for the Niners and the whole group was in on a key fourth down stop at the goal line that all but sealed the win. Next game: vs. Miami Dolphins (Sunday, Sept. 20, at 4:20 p.m. ET) Los Angeles Rams (0-1) The Rams entered this season with high expectations, coming into this game as the Super Bowl favorites after trading for reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett and All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie in an effort to fix any weaknesses in their defense. The team was also returning much of their offense from last season, including reigning MVP Matthew Stafford. But in the season opener against the 49ers, the offense didn't look sharp at all, finishing with 245 total yards and going 2 of 8 on third down and 0 of 2 on fourth down. The Rams offense never got into a rhythm and turned the ball over twice, including a second-quarter interception from quarterback Matthew Stafford. In the loss to the 49ers, Stafford completed 15 of 25 passes for 155 yards and an interception. He had a QB rating of 61.2. Coming into this game -- the first regular season game in Australia -- the Rams chose to fly in the day before the contest, landing early in the morning in Melbourne. While this game could have played out the same way at SoFi Stadium, it's hard to imagine the long travel did not affect the way the Rams played on Friday morning. The Rams, who lost by 20 points, had not lost a game by double digits since Week 12 of the 2024 Week 12 season. They did not manage to score double digits, snapping the third-longest active streak (42) in the NFL, according to ESPN Research. Trend to watch: Running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum split carries almost evenly, with Williams leading the way 11 or Corum's 9. While the game script likely affected the way the Rams ran the ball, especially in the second half, it could be an indication that the Rams plan to use more of a running back by committee approach than last year. Williams had nine carries for 50 yards. Stat to know: Stafford's second-quarter interception was his first against the 49ers since Week 2 of the 2023 season, according to ESPN Research. The quarterback threw eight touchdowns and zero interceptions in four games against the Niners during the 2024 and '25 seasons. Stafford did not throw a single interception in a divisional game last season. Next game: vs. New York Giants (Monday, Sept. 21, at 8:15 p.m. ET)