The second game of the NFL season is a NFC West battle down under! The NFL heads to Melbourne, Australia for a duel between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams. The game will be on Netflix Thursday night at 8:35 PM ET.
There’s also been the conversation over the travel to Australia. The 49ers left last Thursday and arrived Friday, nearly a week before the game. The Rams left the US for their 17-hour flight on Tuesday with an arrival for Wednesday, one day ahead of the Thursday game. A lot of media members are pointing toward an advantage for the underdog 49ers.
Los Angeles made the NFC Championship Game last season and lost to the eventual Super Bowl Champions, the Seattle Seahawks. This offseason, the rich got richer. After Matthew Stafford collected his first-ever MVP award last season following an NFL-best 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns, the Rams go out and trade for Myles Garrett, the 2025 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, who is fresh off an NFL record 23 sack season. The Rams also brought future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald out of retirement for 20 million this year, but he won’t be ready for Week 1.
San Francisco went 12-5 in the regular season last year, beat Philadelphia in the Wild Card, but lost to the eventual Super Bowl champs too, 41-6, in the Divisional Round. The 49ers may have been the most injury-riddled team in 2025, but enter 2026 a lot healthier and possibly more talented. The 49ers resigned or extended multiple offensive lineman, plus brought back Deebo Samuel, signed Mike Evans, and drafted De’Zhaun Stribling in the second round to join Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle as Brock Purdy’s playmakers. The defense added Dre Greenlaw, Osa Odighizuwa, plus drafted defensive lineman Gracen Halton and Romello Height.
Let dive into the numbers and see if we can’t find an additional sweat or two.
NBC Sports has all the latest info and analysis you need, including how to tune in for kickoff, odds from DraftKings, player news and updates, and of course our predictions and best bets for the game from our staff of experts.
Game details and how to watch 49ers at Rams
· Date: Thursday, September 10, 2026
· Time: 8:35 PM ET
· Site: Melbourne Cricket Ground
· City: Melbourne, Australia
· TV/Streaming: Netflix
NBC Sports is your home for all the latest updates on this matchup, featuring live odds, player news, expert analysis, and predictions.
Latest Game Odds for 49ers at Rams
The latest odds courtesy of DraftKings:
· Moneyline: San Francisco 49ers (+164), Los Angeles Rams (-198)
· Spread: Rams -3.5
· Total: 48.5
The opening spread and total for this game hasn’t budged.
NBC Sports Bet Best Bets
Expert picks & predictions for 49ers at Rams
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) leans the 49ers with the points:
“Normally Week 1 points toward divisional underdogs and fading the Super Bowl favorite entering the season, which is what we have here between the 49ers and Rams. This game is also in Australia, so neutral fields, and travel impact the spread as well. The 49ers have been cozy in Australia since arriving Friday whereas the Rams left the US on Tuesday for 17-hour flight, then a game on Thursday. That doesn’t sound ideal. I lean toward the underdog to cover the spread in the first quarter and full game.”
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49ers at Rams betting trends and stats
- The 49ers were 11-7-1 ATS last season, ranking fifth-best
- The Rams were 12-8 ATS last season, ranking seventh-best
- The 49ers were 11-7-1 to the Over last season, ranking seventh-best
- The 49ers were 12-8 to the Over last season, ranking eighth-best
- San Francisco was 8-3 ATS as the road team, ranking third-best, but 2-3 ATS as a road underdog
- Los Angeles was 6-2 ATS at home last season, ranking third-best
- Los Angeles was 4-3 ATS in divisional games last year, while San Francisco was 3-4 ATS
- San Francisco was 4-3 to the Over in divisional games last year, while Los Angeles was an NFL-best 6-1 to the Over
Quarterback matchup for 49ers at Rams
· San Francisco: Brock Purdy – Purdy was limited to nine regular season games in 2025 and two playoff starts. In the regular season, Purdy was dialed in when he was active with 20 touchdowns to 10 interceptions and a 69.4 completion percentage. The playoffs were another story. Purdy had three interceptions to two touchdowns and recorded a 56.4 completion percentage against Eagles and Seahawks. The 49ers as a whole dealt with injuries last season, so they brought back Deebo Samuel Jr. alongside new their No. 1 WR Mike Evans, who has also been injury-riddled.
· Los Angeles: Matthew Stafford – At age 37, Matthew Stafford won his first-ever MVP after leading the league with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns. Stafford led the Rams to the NFC Championship Game where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl Champions, the Seattle Seahawks. While the Rams invested more in the defense this offseason than the offense, Stafford at age 38 has all his weapons back from last year and should have another All-Pro season.
49ers at Rams Injury Update
- The 49ers WR Mike Evans (abductor) is questionable
- The Rams WR Puka Nacua (legal situation) is on track for Week 1
- The Rams OL Alaric Jackson (legal situation) is on track for Week 1
- The Rams DE Myles Garrtet (knee) is on track for Week1
- The Rams DL Aaron Donald is out for Week 1
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest and tools for the NFL, including game predictions, player props, futures, and trends!
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- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
- Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)
