MELBOURNE, Australia - Mike Evans' first touchdown in a San Francisco uniform arrived on the opening drive of the second half, and it settled a game the 49ers were already taking over.
Evans finished with six receptions for 49 yards and a touchdown on seven targets in a 27-7 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The Associated Press called the crowd of 100,021 the seventh-largest regular-season gate in NFL history. Club and box accounts agree on Evans' line and the final score.
Debut night, red-zone fade
Evans had five catches for 47 yards before halftime, per the 49ers. After Deebo Samuel returned the second-half kickoff 45 yards and Christian McCaffrey ripped off runs of 14 and 16 yards, Brock Purdy threw a 2-yard fade to Evans against Rams cornerback Jaylen Watson. The score made it 17-7.
"Brock threw a great ball," Evans said afterward. "We actually repped that a lot the last couple of weeks, so I was happy it paid off."
Coach Kyle Shanahan said it was his first game calling plays with Evans and noted the value of having a receiver who can win that red-zone fade. "Mike's been great," Shanahan said.
How the lead grew
Los Angeles took a 7-3 lead on Kyren Williams' 5-yard run early in the second quarter. Purdy answered with a 39-yard touchdown pass to Demarcus Robinson before the half. After Evans' score, San Francisco drove 99 yards and Purdy hit Samuel for a 15-yard touchdown. Eddy Pineiro's 56-yard field goal pushed the margin to 27-7.
Purdy completed 25 of 34 passes for 205 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He was not sacked. Samuel had six catches for 48 yards and a touchdown; Robinson added two for 50 and a score. McCaffrey ran for 68 yards on 10 carries, and rookie Kaelon Black added 65 yards on 14 carries.