G'day from the banks of the Yarra River in Melbourne, and another spectacular spring morning in the southern hemisphere.

The coffee culture here is real. A toastie a day is a must. And they drive (and walk) on the left.

Also, it's refreshingly chilly – so much so that Week 1 could end up being the coldest kickoff temperature of the Rams season, paradoxically.

Despite what your social media algorithm may be feeding you, the Los Angeles Rams have poured into this market and this country over the past four years. Between the Tailgate Experience on the Crown Riverwalk and game programming at The "G," Melbourne will be unmistakably Rams House come Friday.

It continues to be an honor and a privilege to enter my second decade with this organization, one that says, "Why not?" to kicking off Down Under and takes the same ambitious approach to fortifying the roster with Trent McDuffie, Myles Garrett, and Aaron Donald in one offseason.

Much as last year's journey spanned from Maui to Wembley, the 2026 path will be unprecedented.

Week One is 8,000 miles from home. February 14, 2027 is scheduled for the backyard.

As we know, the Rams were a play away from hosting the NFC Championship Game in 2024.

They were a play away from winning the NFC Championship Game in 2025.

However, that doesn't mean they're a play away from winning another World Championship at SoFi Stadium.

There are so many blocks to stack between here and there, and we know that progress isn't linear in the NFL.

That's a good thing for your Los Angeles Rams. Because the goal isn't to reach Super Bowl LXI – it's to win it.

Lofty Goals

Renewing the rivalry against the 49ers right out of the chute, the first Week One meeting between these teams since 2016, is the ideal starting point.

Forget the mantle of being favorites, the weight of expectations.

Don't get caught in the whirlpool of detractors – and with seven standalone games and four of the first five weeks in prime time, you better believe the hate-watchers will be out in full force, waiting for the first sign of adversity.

Instead, relish in the privilege of pressure. Take faith in how healthy the ingredients are for your Rams, and how aligned their ambitions are. Set a course for January, and enjoy the unique circumstances of this 2026 journey.

"The window" may be Matthew Stafford's, and chasing championships while you have the MVP at the most important position in sports makes all the sense in the world.

Then layer in the desire to win that the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year brings to Los Angeles. Myles Garrett's motivation must feel similar to that of Aaron Donald circa 2021.  Every individual accolade is already in his trophy case, but the ring finger is bare and team success cements legacies.

Similarly, recall that Davante Adams has been turned away at the NFC Championship Game doorstep five times in his illustrious career and surely is wrangling with the reality of how few chances are left.

I've thought several times this summer about Tyler Higbee signing up for an 11^th season. The most prolific tight end in franchise history and a Super Bowl Champion, to be certain. But we remember how devastated he was, unable to play that night in Inglewood, and how badly we all want his 2026 arc to be one of injury redemption and career completion.

And what about that Class of 2023, the bedrock on which this roster was built? Each of them – Steve Avila, Byron Young, Kobie Turner, Warren McClendon, Davis Allen, Puka Nacua, Ethan Evans, Desjuan Johnson – entering a contract year. Their professional fortunes uncertain, but in great position to be amplified by career campaigns.

Donald saw that draft class in its NFL infancy, passed the baton, then stepped away. That his fire was rekindled might be the highest compliment of the millions paid to what this roster has become… on paper.

What I remember most about the championship season of 2021 was the shared sense of purpose, if not destiny, that developed with each chapter of their story.

Though it's only September, this team has an early aura that's reminiscent of those champions. I can't wait to see them coalesce between the lines.

Urgency Down Under

For a shocking reminder of just how quickly the NFL world churns, look back on the Super Bowl LVI active roster.

From that 2021 team, the only 2026 Rams who played positional snaps against the Cincinnati Bengals are Stafford and – out of nowhere – Donald.

That we'll be treated (eventually) to another down of Donald's greatness is a bonus. Coleman Shelton and Alaric Jackson – who only got a handful of snaps on the kicking unit in Super Bowl LVI – now start on the offensive line. Higbee and Tutu Atwell, back from a brief sojourn in South Beach, were on injured reserve at the end of that 2021 season. So was Robert Woods, and it's fantastic to have him and Pro Bowl center Brian Allen in the building, on staff. But the fact remains that in the span of five years, the vast majority of the 53-man roster has turned over.

International Stuff

I'll shout into the wind one more time before the Sleeper Bowl, begging everyone not to draw conclusions from a one-game sample size.

Treat the endless coverage of the Rams travel plans and Niners circadian rhythms as white noise.

Whether or not LA wins on Friday morning in Melbourne, the choice of when to fly will have ripple effects well beyond Week One. The strategy is also about managing September.

Consider that the 49ers return for three straight games in Santa Clara against the Dolphins, Cardinals, and Broncos. In that same span of time, the Rams will have to play in three time zones – home to the Giants, at the Broncos, and in Philadelphia.

As I said on Between the Horns, I can't lend any perspective to what it's like playing professional football. But I have tackled the challenge of returning from the Pacific Rim after an extended stay – it's rough.

There's no higher priority than beating San Francisco, and the Rams made choices to maximize that probability. But instead of making this outcome a referendum on sports science, remember that the Rams are setting themselves up for success in Week 2 and beyond by opting out of Australian Eastern Standard Time.

Mr. International

Sean McVay is 3-0 in international games in his head coaching career, and the Rams' margin of victory in those games is plus-75 (92-17). He's earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to what's best for having his Rams ready to roll.

For what it's worth, McVay can tie Doug Pederson for the most international wins by a head coach if he guides LA to victory on Friday in Australia. However, I've got a far more compelling reason why the Rams must get this done against their bitter rival.

You see, McVay is one win shy of passing Bill Walsh for sole possession of 50th on the list of regular season wins (Walsh coached 10 years and 152 regular season games, winning 92 of them). With his next victory, McVay will also pass Walsh for combined wins – regular and postseason – with his 103rd.

Knowing that Walsh was a muse for McVay, that his grandfather John McVay was the architect of the Niners golden era, how fitting would it be to pen that bit of personal history against this opponent?

Facts & Figures

Nine international games are being played in 2026, the most in a season in NFL history, and of course this will be the first staged in Australia, which becomes the eighth international country to host an NFL game. Here are a few other research tidbits to keep top of mind as you're watching Week One.

Stafford needs three touchdown passes to eclipse Philip Rivers for sixth on the career list. The reigning MVP set an international-game record with five such passes against the Jaguars in Week 7, 2025 in London.

Stafford also dissected the NFC West last year, with 19 passing touchdowns and no interceptions in six starts against division opponents in 2025.

Adams enters his 13^th NFL season and second in LA. With 117 career regular season touchdown receptions, he's seventh all-time, four shy of Larry Fitzgerald, 11 from Marvin Harrison, and 13 from Cris Carter. Another season like his injury-shorted 2025, and he could be top-four in league history.

Garrett and Donald are set to become the first NFL duo to enter a season with 100 career sacks apiece and a 20-sack season to their credit.

Already with 125.5 career sacks as he puts on a Rams uniform for the first time, Garrett needs just three to tie Jared Allen for second-most in the first 10 seasons of an NFL career. Only Reggie White (145) will have more, and he's also well within striking distance.

The 49ers were last in the NFL in sacks and in pressure rate in 2025. 20 sacks were the fewest sacks by a San Francisco team in the Super Bowl era. Beware of Osa and Bosa, however. Trading for defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa was the biggest move of the Niners offseason, and Nick Bosa's return to some semblance of healthy gives them Defensive POY upside on the edge.

Similarly, Fred Warner has the power to set things right in the middle of that Niners defense. Arguably the best off-ball linebacker in the game, opponents averaged 0.4 fewer yards per play last season when Warner was on the field, compared to the 5.8 average when he missed 11 games due to an ankle injury. More specifically, the Rams rushing EPA in a Week 5 loss against Warner and the Niners was -6.94. In a Week 10 win in Santa Clara when Warner absent, it ballooned to 1.74. The 2026 opener marks the first collision between the Rams' multiple tight end sets and the All-Pro middle linebacker.

Watching the West

The defending champions uncork a new season on Wednesday night in Seattle with a Super Bowl rematch.

I find it interesting that despite winning the NFC West last season, the Seahawks seemingly get a "better" like-place finisher schedule based on 2026 expectations. Seattle hosts New England and Chicago, plus a trip to Carolina (forecasted win total of 27.5, combined). LA hosts Buffalo and Green Bay, with a trip to Tampa (29.5, a full two wins stronger).

Meantime, the franchise with the toughest schedule in football, the Arizona Cardinals will be at SoFi trying to upset the Chargers in Week 1.