In the first "Thursday Night Football" game of the season, we technically have a Friday afternoon game, as the Los Angeles Rams "host" the division rival San Francisco 49ers in the first NFL game game that will be played in Melbourne, Australia. The Rams were the team of the offseason, what with their dramatic defensive makeover coming off a season where they lost in the NFC title game to the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. They added the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Myles Garrett, plus another former All-Pro in Trent McDuffie.
If that wasn't enough, they were able to lure three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald out of retirement for another Super Bowl run. It looks like a whole new unit heading into 2026, and it should better complement the explosive offense they featured last year. The 49ers, meanwhile, had an eventful offseason as well.
They traded for Osa Odighizuwa. They're bringing three stars back from major injuries in George Kittle, Fred Warner and Nick Bosa. They hired a new defensive coordinator in Raheem Morris.
But coach Kyle Shanahan was injured in a serious car accident. Owner Jed York was arrested. They lost Ricky Pearsall for the season during training camp.
There's a lot going on here, and not all of it is good. Now, we get to see these two teams do battle in the season opener. It should be fascinating.
But before we go through some of the key storylines, here's a look at how you can watch the game. The Rams are, unsurprisingly, my pick to win the Super Bowl this season. The roster is just that loaded, though, and I think we are going to see that in terrifying fashion right from the first game of the season.
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