Rams Thrash 49ers in Charmful Show of Strength!

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 05: NFL players Kevin Dotson and Kyren Williams of the Los Angeles Rams pose for a photograph ahead of the round one NRL match between Melbourne Storm and Parramatta Eels at AAMI Park, on March 05, 2026, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images) | Getty Images Next season’s game between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers to be played in Melbourne, Australia will be the NFL’s Thursday night feature in Week 1 and it’s causing the league to totally shift its usual routine. Instead of opening with the Super Bowl winner on Thursday in Week 1, as it usually does, the NFL is going to be shifting the opening game to a rare Wednesday contest according to Joe Flint of the Wall Street Journal.

The teams that will be in that game are unknown and may not include the Seattle Seahawks. Or if it does, the Seahawks will end up playing on the road because their home field is already scheduled for an MLS game of the Seattle Sounders. How interesting then that a Rams-49ers game could end up disrupting the Seahawks’ expectations for a Week 1 home game on a Thursday.

Some small NFL TV news. The first game of the regular season will be on Wednesday night on NBC (vs usual Thursday). The Melbourne game will be on Thursday — platform TBD.

NFL can't do a Friday game this year on opening week, hence the tweaks. — Joe Flint (@JBFlint) March 17, 2026 The Rams-49ers game in Melbourne is a historic moment for the NFL and clearly it wants to showcase their worldwide appeal by debuting in Australia. The amazing amount of jet lag that both teams will have to deal with also makes sense for why the league wants to get this game out of the way in Week 1 and give L.