49ers head to Australia a full week before the Rams for Thursday night season opener

The NFL's Thursday night football opener of the San Francisco 49ers against the Los Angeles Rams is also the league's first game in Australia — and the two California rivals are treating the trip very differently. The San Francisco 49ers will leave for Australia today (Wednesday, September 2nd), giving them a full week on the ground to continue preparations ahead of next Thursday night's/Friday morning kickoff, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The Rams, by contrast, aren't leaving until next Wednesday — a full week after their division rival. That's a starkly compressed acclimation window for a prime-time opener in a timezone 17-18 hours ahead of California, and it has already drawn the obvious question from fans: which approach beats the jet lag?

San Francisco's tight end George Kittle and edge rusher Nick Bosa are traveling with the team. Two of the 49ers' biggest stars are healthy enough to make the long-haul trip as the regular season begins, but still no commitment from the team on their playing status