The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams began their 2026 NFL season a long way from home in Australia.
While the opener was played on Thursday evening in the United States, it was already Friday in Australia by the time the game kicked off due to the time-zone difference.
The 49ers arrived in Australia a week before the game, which gave 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey enough time to get a haircut from a local barber.
After the haircut was finished, though, McCaffrey says he was taken aback by a phrase the barber used to describe the 49ers running back’s appearance.
“I was getting a haircut a few days ago, and one of the barbers looks at me and goes, ‘Looks cracker.'” McCaffrey said in a postgame press conference after the 49ers defeated the Rams 27-7.
“I was like, ‘Sorry what did you say?'” McCaffrey added about his response to the barber. “I didn’t know what that meant. I guess it means it looks good, but that was funny. He said it again, and I’m like, ‘Dude, I hear that every Sunday.'”
McCaffrey’s assumption about the meaning of the word was apparently correct. “Cracker” typically is used in Australian slang to mean “great,” according to a list of Australia slang words compiled by Charles Sturt University, a public university based in New South Wales, Australia.
In the U.S., of course, cracker can carry a much different connotation when used as a slang word, typically meaning a reference to a white person.
It is unclear if McCaffrey meant that his 49ers teammates sometimes use the word to refer to him when he told the barber in Australia that he hears it every Sunday, or if he meant fans use it to refer to him online or in person at stadiums.
Much was made about the different travel schedules between the Rams and 49ers leading into the game. Rams players and coaches did not arrive until the day before kickoff, a decision the franchise thought was the best course of action based on their research, while the 49ers had already been in Australia for roughly a week.
We may never know how much of an impact the travel arrangements had on the outcome, but the 49ers certainly looked like the more prepared team on the field.
San Francisco outgained Los Angeles 379-290 in total yards, while the Rams converted on just two of their nine third-down attempts.
Three 49ers wide receivers caught a touchdown pass from quarterback Brock Purdy, including Deebo Samuel, Demarcus Robinson, and Mike Evans.
While McCaffrey did not score, he amassed 88 total yards on 15 touches.
