The 49ers Crush the Jet-Lag Bowl, Rams Overreactions, Bills-Texans, and Week 1 NFL Picks With Joe House

September 11, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The 49ers beat the Rams 27-7 in Melbourne, Australia, in what Bill Simmons and Joe House call the "Jet-Lag Bowl," and the result immediately reshapes NFC West expectations. The Rams entered as a trendy Super Bowl pick after trading three first-rounders for Myles Garrett and adding Jared Verse, but San Francisco dominated from start to finish. The game turned on a single sequence in the fourth quarter: the Rams, down 17-7, drove to the 49ers' half-yard line, then ran a QB sneak with the "decrepit" Matthew Stafford on fourth down instead of kicking a field goal. Stafford got stuffed, and the 49ers marched 99 yards for the game-sealing touchdown. "That was the sequence of the game," House says. The Rams, who tried 15 different staffers over two years to solve the sleep science for this trip, looked flat. The 49ers had been in Melbourne for five days and played like the home team.

The Sleep Science Debate Gets Settled—Sort Of

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What you'll learn

1 (02:10) **Opening & Rams-Niners Jet-Lag Bowl Recap** - House and Bill kick off the post-game analysis of the NFL’s Australia experiment.
2 (07:00) **Miles Garrett Disappears & The Niners’ Offseason Reassessment** - The hosts question whether the Rams’ “super team” hype was premature.
3 (12:22) **Four Overreactions: Pick One** - Bill offers four hot takes from the game and forces House to choose the most credible.
4 (14:10) **Mike Evans, Deebo, and the 49ers’ Depth** - A quick look at the players who shined and the injuries that struck.
5 (16:30) **Rams Special Teams Still Suck, and a Wife’s Rant on Wednesday Football** - House and Bill pivot to a broader complaint about the NFL schedule.
6 (19:35) **Winning Bets and the Week One Underdog Trend** - House and Bill review their own bets and the early-season pattern.
7 (21:48) **Australian Game Grade and Netflix Broadcast Notes** - A final verdict on the Melbourne spectacle and the viewing experience.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Joe House

Show Notes

The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Joe House to react to the 49ers taking down the Rams in Australia before making their Ringer 107 picks for Week 1 and more!

(0:00) Intro

(1:08) 49ers-Rams reactions

(24:03) Ringer 107 picks

(01:13:14) U.S. Open thoughts

Host: Bill Simmons

Guest: Joe House

Producers: Chia Hao Tat, Eduardo Ocampo, and Chris Wohlers

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