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Zzzzzz: 49ers, traditional travel zap super team dreamsThere was once an NFL team with an embarrassment of talent amassed on its roster. It was the easy, trendy pick to win a Super Bowl. Its backup quarterback was a former NFL Rookie of the Year and two-time Pro Bowler. This was a super team, or as that QB, Vince Young, called it, a “dream team.” These were the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles, who looked up Dec. 1 and saw their record read 4-8. They finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs. By all accounts, it was a disaster. The talk around the 2026 Rams has echoed that feeling. The super team with a magical offseason. A Super Bowl favorite. The guys who supposedly figured out how to travel across the ocean better than any NFL team before them. It’s just one game, but this super team started its supposed Super Bowl run worse than anyone could’ve imagined.
The division rival 49ers, who adopted a more traditional travel strategy, walloped the Rams in Australia, 27-7. It was never particularly close. San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy looked awesome, and its defense looked even better. It’s a good time to remind everyone that this team went 12-5 last year despite suffering huge injuries.






