The San Francisco 49ers are headed down under to take on the Los Angeles Rams in a game that will air on Thursday ahead of Week 1. As the NFL attempts to play around the globe, not everyone believes there are benefits.
One of those people is Kyle Shanahan. Sarcastically, Shanahan said, “Oh, so fired up. That’s our goal, to go 19 hours away to play a game.” Shanahan wasn’t sure whether the 49ers would gain or lose a day, but said the team will deal with it, regardless.
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Shanahan said, “They tell you, and you deal with it,” when discussing the international games. When asked whether he could see any positives from playing internationally, Shanahan couldn’t point to one:
I don’t see any pro. I mean, it’s cool. It’s cool for the league to play globally. I think that’s awesome. But, um, as far as the team doing it, you know, it’s..no, there’s not much benefit to it. Sometimes, it’s nice to get a bye week after. But it doesn’t happen Week 1.
The 49ers won’t host their game in Mexico City until later in the season. It’ll likely come after the bye week, but when that bye week lands for the 49ers this season will be critical for their rest.