Based on Thursday night’s drubbing by the 49ers against the Rams, it appears San Francisco’s early-arrival approach worked better than the Rams’ drug-storm strategy.
But Week 1 is only part of the equation. The Rams were certainly thinking about recovering from the long road trip, with the goal of being ready for the next game, against the Giants in week two.
And it doesn’t get easy after that. The Rams travel to Denver for a game on Sunday night before playing at Philadelphia the following Sunday afternoon. After that, it’s another Monday night game – against the Bills.
The 49ers will have to fly home after fully acclimating to Australia and re-acclimating to America. The Dolphins come to town in week two, followed by visits from the Cardinals and Broncos. In Week 5, the 49ers make their annual visit to the Seahawks.
In many ways, Thursday night’s game is just the beginning. Where both teams go from here once they return home will tell a lot.