Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports says that he continues to hear "buzz" about the 2018 NFL game in China being a matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers. The two international games for that season, one in China and the other in London, are on Wednesday's agenda at the NFL meetings.
Continuing to hear a buzz at these league meetings about the NFL game in China in 2018 being Rams/49ers. China and London on agenda Wed
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) December 14, 2016
In July, Sports Business Daily first reported that a 2018 regular season game in China between the 49ers and Rams was planned. The contest would reportedly replace a home game for the Rams.
"In March, reports surfaced that the NFL wants to expand its international presence to China and that the Rams were one team selected to play there," wrote Don Muret of Sports Business Daily. "NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell later confirmed multiple teams had shown interest in playing in China."
The Rams, who returned to Los Angeles this year and have been playing their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, have agreed to give up one home game a season to play overseas this season and over the next two as their new stadium is being built in neighboring Inglewood. They played an October 23 game against the New York Giants in London – a game that they lost 17-10.
In September, Pro Football Talk reported that the NFL's plans to play a game in China had run into some stumbling blocks. There are some logistics that become a problem for a game in China. They include the 13-hour flight from Los Angeles, the 15-hour time difference from the West Coast, and the 12-hour time difference from the East Coast. That's not just hard on the players that have to adjust to practices at very different times, but tough for scheduling the game so that both China and United States fans could watch.
The 49ers' last matchup overseas was a 2013 game in London. Their opponent was the Jacksonville Jaguars, who San Francisco beat 42-10. Colin Kaepernick passed for 164 yards and a touchdown in that matchup. He also rushed for 54 yards and two more touchdowns.
