THE 49ERS WENT TO AUSTRALIA TO PLAY FOOTBALL… AND APPARENTLY MOVED IN!

Let me get this straight.

The San Francisco 49ers flew 15-plus hours to Australia, arrived a WEEK before the game, checked into a luxury hotel, had their own meeting rooms, their own chefs, recovery equipment, cold plunges, red-light therapy, coffee shops, group dinners, sightseeing…

Then they walked into Melbourne Cricket Ground and beat the Los Angeles Rams 27-7.

Meanwhile, the Rams basically showed up Thursday, played Friday and left.

That wasn't a football game.

That was a business trip versus a layover!

And now everybody wants to know whether Kyle Shanahan pulled off the greatest international travel strategy since somebody discovered the hotel has room service.

Shanahan isn't going to admit it helped. Sean McVay isn't going to admit it hurt.

But I'm going to say what everybody else is thinking:

The 49ers looked like they had been living in Australia for six months. The Rams looked like they were still trying to figure out which side of the stadium they were supposed to be on.

And I'm sorry, but if I'm Sean McVay, I'm looking at Kyle Shanahan after that game like:

“So you're telling me you got here a week early, slept in, ate properly, recovered, practiced, explored Melbourne, drank coffee, had your chefs cooking your food… and then we flew in two days before the game?”

COME ON!

What did McVay think was going to happen?

“Don't worry boys, we'll just beat jet lag with positive energy!”

No!

Jet lag doesn't care about your offensive scheme. Jet lag doesn't care about Matthew Stafford's Hall of Fame résumé. Jet lag doesn't care how good Cooper Kupp used to be.

Jet lag will walk into your locker room and say:

“Good luck, buddy. I'm about to ruin your entire Sunday.”

And that's exactly what happened.

THE 49ERS WERE ON VACATION… WITH A GAME PLAN

Here's the funniest part.

The 49ers didn't just go to Australia early. They actually enjoyed themselves.

Mike Evans said the team felt acclimated, and George Kittle basically sounded like he was reviewing a five-star vacation package. They were drinking coffee, going to restaurants, exploring Melbourne, getting haircuts and recovering.

And apparently Christian McCaffrey got a haircut and was told his hair “looks cracker.”

Now, I have absolutely no idea what that means.

Apparently in Australia, that's a compliment.

But imagine being Christian McCaffrey. You fly halfway around the world to prepare for an NFL game and the biggest scouting report you receive is:

“Your hair looks cracker.”

That's when you know you're having a good trip.

McCaffrey probably walked out of that barbershop thinking:

“I don't know what he said, but I'm pretty sure I just got Player of the Week.”

AND THEN THEY ACTUALLY PLAYED FOOTBALL

That's the part that matters.

Because this wasn't just about tourism. The 49ers looked prepared.

Brock Purdy threw three touchdown passes. San Francisco ran the football extremely well, averaging 5.8 yards per carry on 30 attempts.

And the defense?

OH BOY.

Raheem Morris' first game as San Francisco's defensive coordinator couldn't have gone much better. The 49ers held Matthew Stafford and the Rams to just seven points.

That's the lowest-scoring game the Rams have ever had with Stafford at quarterback.

Let that sink in.

The Rams were supposed to be one of the best teams in football. Instead, San Francisco turned them into an Australian sightseeing attraction.

“Ladies and gentlemen, on your left, you will see the Rams offense. Please don't feed them. They're currently struggling to score.”

And this wasn't some ugly 13-10 game where everybody looked jet-lagged.

San Francisco scored 17 unanswered points to pull away.

The Rams?

They looked like a team that had just discovered the flight home was already boarding.

SO DID TRAVEL MATTER?

Here's where I think this gets REALLY interesting.

Kyle Shanahan doesn't want to say it. Sean McVay doesn't want to say it. And they're both right to avoid making excuses.

But you can't tell me preparation didn't matter.

There's a massive difference between:

“Let's fly 15 hours across the planet, arrive Thursday, play Friday.”

And:

“Let's fly out a week early, adjust our body clocks, get comfortable, practice, recover, eat our own food and spend an entire week getting used to the environment.”

That's not an excuse.

That's preparation.

The 49ers basically turned Australia into their temporary headquarters.

The Rams treated Australia like an Airbnb.

And then the Airbnb checked out with a 27-7 loss.

100,021 PEOPLE SHOWED UP!

And here's another crazy part.

The announced attendance was 100,021, making it the seventh-highest regular-season attendance total in NFL history.

So clearly Australia wanted football.

And from everything we're hearing, the atmosphere was unbelievable. Purdy talked about the passion of Australian sports fans. There were singalongs throughout the game. The crowd was into it.

And the 49ers got to experience something most NFL players don't get every season: playing in front of more than 100,000 people on the other side of the planet.

That's pretty damn cool.

But here's where Kyle Shanahan and I agree.

Ask him if he wants to go back.

His response was basically:

“I'd love to come back when I'm not working.”

THAT IS THE MOST COACH ANSWER EVER!

“Australia is beautiful. Melbourne is amazing. The people were fantastic. The hotel was great. The food was great.”

“Can I please go home now?”

Shanahan basically said:

“Great vacation. Terrible job.”

That's how coaches think.

KYLE SHANAHAN WANTS 17 HOME GAMES!

And honestly?

I respect it.

Shanahan basically said he'd prefer 17 home games in San Francisco.

I don't blame him!

If the NFL called me and said:

“Errol, we're sending you to Australia.”

I'd say:

“Fantastic! When's my vacation?”

Then they say:

“You're working.”

I'd say:

“Never mind. Send me to Long Island.”

Because flying halfway around the world to work is one thing.

Flying halfway around the world to WORK and then having to coach against Sean McVay?

That's another level of stress.

THE NFL JUST LEARNED SOMETHING

And that's ultimately what makes this game fascinating.

The NFL's first regular-season game in Australia wasn't just about expanding the league internationally. It may have given the NFL a blueprint for how teams should handle these massive international trips.

Get there early. Adjust. Recover. Eat properly. Practice. Get comfortable.

And don't spend the entire trip staring at the inside of an airplane.

The 49ers did exactly that.

Then they went out and played like the team that had been there all week.

The Rams didn't play well enough. Sean McVay admitted that, and he's not making excuses.

But if you're another NFL team preparing for one of these international games, you better be paying attention.

Because the next time somebody says:

“Should we fly in early?”

The answer might be pretty simple.

Look at San Francisco.

They got to Australia early. They adjusted. They prepared. They had fun. They drank coffee. Christian McCaffrey got his hair done. George Kittle apparently fell in love with Melbourne.

And then they beat the Rams by 20.

THAT'S ONE HELL OF A WORK TRIP!

So congratulations to the 49ers.

They proved you can travel halfway around the world, enjoy yourself, prepare properly and still take care of business.

And congratulations to the Rams.

At least they don't have to worry about jet lag anymore.

They're already halfway back home.

Errol Marks says it best: If you're going to make me fly 15 hours for work, I'm getting there a week early too. And if there's a cold plunge, a five-star hotel and unlimited coffee involved?

Hell, I might never come home!