# Stephen A. Smith's wild reason for snubbing the 49ers

> The ESPN host left San Francisco out of his top five despite their dominant win over the Rams in Australia.
- Title: Stephen A. Smith's wild reason for snubbing the 49ers
- Summary: The ESPN host left San Francisco out of his top five despite their dominant win over the Rams in Australia. Stephen A. Smith excluded the 49ers from his top…
- Keywords: stephen a. smith, san francisco 49ers, los angeles rams, espn, nfl, brock purdy, australia, nfl international series, week 1, nfc west, jeff saturday, Stephen
- Source: Newsweek — https://newsweek.com/sports/nfl/stephen-a-smith-reveals-bizarre-reason-he-left-49ers-out-of-his-top-5-nfl-teams-12447592
- Author: Matthew Couden
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: stephen a. smith, san francisco 49ers, los angeles rams, espn, nfl, brock purdy, australia, nfl international series, week 1, nfc west, jeff saturday
## 49ers dominate Rams in Australia
San Francisco crushed Los Angeles 27-7 in Melbourne. Brock Purdy threw three touchdowns while the Rams managed just 128 passing yards.
## Stephen A. left them out
Despite the dominant win, Smith excluded the 49ers from his top five NFL teams. His colleagues were surprised by the omission.
## His reason: they played in Australia
Smith said the game location mattered because teams flew across the ocean. The Rams arrived just 28 hours before kickoff.

> Because they was in Australia. You're flying across the ocean. I gotta take that into consideration!
## Smith's actual top five teams
Seattle topped his list, followed by Buffalo, Kansas City, Baltimore, and Chicago. The Bears scored 59 points in their opener.
## Travel plans were very different
The 49ers arrived in Australia nearly a week early. The Rams got there just over a day before the game.
## Rams had bigger problems than jet lag
Los Angeles was hyped as a superteam after adding Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie. Aaron Donald unretired but didn't play, and Garrett is now on injured reserve.
## Key takeaway

Stephen A. Smith excluded the 49ers from his top five because their season opener was played in Australia, citing travel considerations.