The San Francisco 49ers are on their way to Australia to participate in the first-ever NFL game on the continent against their NFC West foe, the Los Angeles Rams, to kick off the 2026 season.
And two specific passengers have fans hopeful heading into next week’s matchup down under.
Tight end George Kittle and defensive end Nick Bosa, two very important pieces of Kyle Shanahan’s roster, made the trip with the rest of the team, according to multiple reports.
This is encouraging considering both have been dealing with their own recovery from injury.
Kittle suffered a torn Achilles in the Wild Card Round against the Philadelphia Eagles on Jan. 11, while Bosa tore his ACL in Week 3 last season. Bosa, specifically, has been battling tendinitis for most of the 49ers’ training camp.
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Camp has not been at all pleasant for the 49ers in terms of depth, as multiple players have been dealing with injury, including new wide receiver Mike Evans and fullback Kyle Juszczyk on top of Kittle and Bosa. San Fran also lost wide receiver Ricky Pearsall to a PCL injury.
But with Kittle and Bosa heading out to Australia, it could mean that reinforcements are on the way to start the regular season.
“I would assume so,” Kittle said last month when asked if traveling to Australia would indicate whether or not he’s playing in the game. “I mean, that probably makes the most sense. I would assume.”
After practicing on Wednesday, the 49ers took flight to Australia, where they’re expected to land on Friday due to the 17-hour time difference. It’s that time difference that the 49ers are making sure players get accustomed to it before they take on the Rams on Sept. 10 at 8:35 p.m. ET.
For both teams, it will actually be Friday morning at 10:35 a.m. That’s when kickoff will take place at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
In the days leading up to it, the availability of Kittle, Bosa and the rest of the 49ers should become clear as they hold practices and gear up for a team many believe are Super Bowl favorites this season. The Rams returned MVP quarterback Matthew Stafford, though nobody saw Aaron Donald coming out of retirement to join Myles Garrett on the defensive line after the Defensive Player of the Year was traded for with the Cleveland Browns.
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