Shanahan: Rams Handpicked 49ers for Australia Showdown

0:00It's April 2nd. From kickoff to the final whistle, this is NFL News Today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is calling out the Los Angeles Rams for hand-picking his team as their week one opponent down under in. Australia. The two California rivals will clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to kick off the season, and Shanahan says the Rams wanted to match a bond. Purpose It stems from how 49ers fans have been dominating Rams home games, flooding the stands and red and gold, and outnumbering the home crowd big time. Shanahan dropped this on Pro Football Talk Live, saying he knows for a fact they requested it, and that part really bugs him. Now, with the 49ers already set for two international games, including one in Mexico City. Shanahan is pushing back hard. He wants the league to make the rematch happen there instead of at Levi's Stadium, so the Rams have to travel abroad twice, too, keeping things fair.

1:00He gets why they might want a neutral spot early on, especially with silent cadence challenges, but figures if they got their wish, it's time for his. That could turn their heated divisional beef into a global back and forth. Picture this rivalry, going international, both ways. It evens the travel load and lets fans worldwide catch the fire of one of the NFL's fiercest. Battles.