San Francisco 49ers face Los Angeles Rams in Australia
The 49ers' current headline event is their Week 1 meeting with the Los Angeles Rams at Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia. The latest pregame reporting lists Nick Bosa, George Kittle, Kyle Juszczyk and James Thompson Jr. as active, while several players are inactive.
San Francisco 49ers face Los Angeles Rams in Australia
The NFC West rivals are playing the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia. The matchup is taking place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, a venue traditionally associated with cricket and Australian rules football. The stadium had more than 100,000 fans for the game, according to The Independent.
The game also marks the start of the regular season for both teams. Reporting from The New York Times described it as the first of nine international games scheduled by the NFL this season.
The latest San Francisco team news
The final inactive list includes quarterback Kurtis Rourke, cornerback Ephesians Prysock, running back Jordan James, wide receiver Jordan Watkins, linebacker Tatum Bethune and offensive tackle Enrique Cruz, according to FantasyPros. Defensive tackle James Thompson Jr., who had been listed as questionable with a hamstring issue, is active and expected to be part of the defensive-tackle rotation.
The team’s website also reported that defensive lineman Nick Bosa, tight end George Kittle and fullback Kyle Juszczyk were available for the opener after working through injuries during the week. Bosa had been dealing with a knee issue, Kittle with an Achilles problem and Juszczyk with a finger injury. The 49ers’ Week 1 inactive report also said defensive lineman Alfred Collins had been ruled out for the season after suffering a torn patellar injury in practice in Melbourne.
Watkins’ absence was described by FantasyPros as having little expected impact on the players ahead of him on the depth chart. The report identified him as inactive for the game against Los Angeles.
Contrasting travel plans before the opener
The two teams adopted different approaches to the long journey from California. San Francisco spent about a week in Melbourne to adjust to local time, while Los Angeles arrived roughly a day before the game. The Independent reported that the Rams travelled about 24 hours before the matchup, while the San Francisco side had arrived the previous Friday.
The New York Times said the teams had received different advice from their science and research staffs about handling the time change. The report noted that San Francisco consulted sleep experts and coaches with experience of long-distance travel, while Los Angeles planned to spend as little time as possible in Melbourne before returning to California.
The latest verified position before the matchup is therefore a confirmed Week 1 inactive list, with Bosa, Kittle, Juszczyk and Thompson available for San Francisco.