49ers' Christian McCaffrey Hypes Australia Game After Admitting There Were 'A Lot of Question Marks'

While presenting a massive departure from the team's usual pregame preparations, San Francisco 49ers star Christian McCaffrey said the trip to Australia has been a "cool experience."

"There's a lot of question marks when you hear you're playing in Australia, but since we've been here, it's been so cool," he told reporters over the weekend. "The people are unbelievable. The food's incredible. The coffee's great. The atmosphere, you can already feel it. And it's been a lot of fun, so we're super fired up we're here."

Melbourne, Australia, is 17 hours ahead of the West Coast of the United States. The Niners will be kicking off against the Los Angeles Rams at 10:35 a.m. local time Friday in order to make a Thursday prime-time slot in the United States.

You could almost witness the brain of Niners coach Kyle Shanahan overloading when he tried to work through the conversion:

The time difference had an important component for Shanahan. Rather than having to submit his injury report on Monday in Melbourne, he could wait until Tuesday because that would be Monday in the United States.

"We're technically in the future from where we're from, and the Rams are in the present," he told reporters. "I don't have to talk about injuries until tomorrow. So, I'm not talking about them."

Whereas the Niners arrived in Australia last week, the Rams veered in the opposite direction. Los Angeles is heading out Tuesday with the idea keeping the game-week schedule as normal as possible.

That seems a little counterintuitive because it leaves less time to overcome the inevitable jet lag on a flight from the United States to Australia. The Rams also won't be able to fully enjoy a setting they may otherwise never experience.

It sounds as though McCaffrey had some reservations about playing so far from home but has come to savor the locale.