After a week Down Under, the San Francisco 49ers officially kicked off the 2026 regular season on Friday, defeating the Los Angeles Rams 27-7 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the NFL's first-ever regular season game played in Australia.
The Week 1 matchup marked another chapter in the NFC West rivalry and the fourth time the 49ers and Rams have met in a season opener. With the victory, San Francisco starts the year 1-0 and picks up an early win over a division opponent.
Here are the top takeaways from the 49ers Week 1 win over the Rams:
Mike Evans Finds the End Zone in 49ers Debut
WR Mike Evans made an immediate impact in his first regular season game in red and gold, emerging as one of QB Brock Purdy's go-to targets in the 49ers season opener.
After hauling in five receptions for 47 yards in the first half, Evans added a touchdown on the opening drive of the third quarter. Purdy connected with the veteran wideout for a two-yard touchdown, marking Evans' first touchdown as a member of the 49ers and extended San Francisco's lead to 17-7.
Evans finished his 49ers debut with six receptions for 49 yards and a touchdown on seven targets.
"Mike's been great," head coach Kyle Shanahan said. "Today was my first time doing it with him... It was nice to be able to have a type of receiver to throw a fade to like that at Red Zone."
"Brock threw a great ball," Evans said on his touchdown. "We actually repped that a lot the last couple of weeks, so I was happy it paid off."
Purdy Spreads the Ball Around in Three-Touchdown Performance
Purdy opened his 2026 campaign by finding three different receivers for touchdowns in the 49ers win.
San Francisco's first trip to the end zone came late in the second quarter when Purdy found WR Demarcus Robinson for a 39-yard touchdown. The score capped a nine-play, 86-yard drive, and sent the 49ers into halftime with a 10-7 lead.
Following his two-yard scoring connection with Evans in the third quarter, Purdy added his third touchdown on a 99-yard drive. Purdy threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to WR Deebo Samuel Sr. which extended the lead to 24-7.
Purdy finished the night 25-of-34 for 205 yards and three touchdowns
49ers Defense Stands Tall in Australia
San Francisco's defense delivered, holding Los Angeles to just seven points and kept the Rams off the scoreboard through the last three quarters.
One of the game's biggest stands came late in the third quarter. The Rams made their way to fourth-and-goal from the 1. QB Matthew Stafford tried to run it in himself, but the 49ers defensive front held its ground, with DL Osa Odighizuwa credited with the stop to force a turnover on downs.
LB Fred Warner helped lead the defensive effort in his return to regular-season action after missing time in 2025 due to an ankle injury. Early in the fourth quarter, Warner forced Rams TE Tyler Higbee to fumble, and DL Keion White recovered the ball. The fumble led to a 56-yard field goal from K Eddy Piñeiro that pushed San Francisco's lead to 27-7.
Warner's return to the field also came with a place in the 49ers record books. He entered Week 1 needing two tackles to tie Pro Football Hall of Fame LB Patrick Willis' franchise record of 950 career tackles. With his performance against the Rams (5 solo, 6 assists, and 11 combined), Warner passed Willis to become the 49ers all-time leader in career tackles.
Shanahan reflected on Warner's impact following the win.
"Fred means everything to me," Shanahan said. "I don't want to coach very much when Fred's not around... He is one of the most impressive people I've been around."
McCaffrey and Black Power 49ers Ground Game
The 49ers leaned on a one-two punch of RB Christian McCaffrey and rookie RB Kaelon Black to keep the offense moving throughout the game.
McCaffrey found his stride coming out of halftime, putting together two consecutive runs of 14 and 16 yards in the opening possession. Those gains helped set up Evans' touchdown.
Black also saw a lot of action behind McCaffrey in his NFL regular season debut. The rookie carried the ball 14 times for 65 yards, while McCaffrey finished with 68 yards on 10 carries.
San Francisco finished with 174 rushing yards.
Green Comes Up With First Takeaway of the Season
CB Renardo Green delivered the 49ers first interception of the 2026 season in the second quarter. On third-and-10, Green intercepted Stafford on a deep ball intended for WR Puka Nacua at the 49ers 14-yard line.
The interception ended the Rams possession that had reached San Francisco territory and helped the 49ers defense hold Stafford to just four completions on 11 attempts in the first half.
"It was huge for Renardo," Shanahan said. "Renardo had such a good training camp, he's had such a good off season starting back to Phase 1 and OTAS."
Offensive Line Holds Up Against Rams
The 49ers offensive line faced a good test in Week 1 and kept Purdy clean throughout the night.
Purdy was not sacked on any of his 34 pass attempts, giving the quarterback time to complete passes to eight different receivers and throw three touchdowns.
The work up front also helped San Francisco have 174 rushing yards, with McCaffrey, Black, and Purdy all contributing in the run game,
"They (O-Line) did an unbelievable job," Shanahan said. "The long ball to D-Rob (Robinson) that was huge. I think we took a seven-step drop... Which normally I would never expect to get that first half pass rush. So it was a hell of a job by the protection by the whole line."
What's Next
Following their Week 1 win in Melbourne, the 49ers will return to The Bay and turn their attention to their home opener at Levi's® Stadium. San Francisco will host the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Sept. 20, with kickoff set for 1:25 p.m. PT.
