What a difference a week makes.
On Monday night, the Los Angeles Rams looked like the super team that was promised at the start of the NFL season, dominating the New York Giants en route to a 28–6 win. While the Giants were handicapped by a slew of injuries—QB Jaxson Dart, WR Malik Nabers, LB Brian Burns, and LT Andrew Thomas all were knocked out of action at some point during the contest, with Dart missing the majority of the game—it doesn’t change the fact that the Rams controlled the action up and down the field all night.
It was a big win for the Rams, as they avoided an 0–2 start after their disastrous trip to Australia to start the season. Coach Sean McVay was in a good mood after the win, and went as far as to roast himself a bit for how his team prepared for the season opener.
“We’ve got the right people. Sometimes you win and sometimes you learn, and sometimes you have a dumb*ss coach that makes travel decisions that put you in a bad spot. So, there you go.”
“Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn and sometimes you have a dumbass coach that makes travel plans that puts you in bad spot.”
Sean McVay on the difference with the Rams between Week 1 and Week 2. pic.twitter.com/RjfnnGLuJn
— ESPN (@espn) September 22, 2026
The Rams famously attempted a pretty wild travel strategy for their season opener against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia. While the 49ers arrived in Australia a week early to adjust to the time change and reset after the 16-hour flight, the Rams attempted to fly in less than 24 hours before kickoff. When the teams took the field, the Rams got smacked, losing 27–7 and looking very much like a team that was still recovering from a 16-hour flight.
A performance like the one the Rams had on Monday night against the Giants will go a long way in putting that flight in the past and looking forward to the rest of the 2026 season that holds so much promise for Los Angeles.
Just don’t ask McVay to take his team back to Australia any time soon.
About Tyler Lauletta
Tyler is a editorial contributor at Awful Announcing, with previous stops at Sports Illustrated and Business Insider during his career covering sports in digital media. He is, begrudgingly, a Truster of the Process and general Philly sports sicko.