The 49ers and Rams are set to open their season in a way Thursday Night Football rarely has: on Netflix.
For a long stretch, the NFL’s Thursday showcase lived between NFL Network and Amazon Prime. This week, though, the spotlight shifts to streaming’s biggest stage as San Francisco and Los Angeles meet in Melbourne, Australia.
The game is drawing attention for more than the platform. Both teams see themselves as Super Bowl contenders, and sack specialist Myles Garrett is scheduled to make his long-awaited Los Angeles debut.
Netflix’s role in the NFL has grown quickly. The company first struck a deal with the league in March 2024 to carry select games, but those broadcasts were limited to Christmas Day matchups. Those games made noise, too, with Beyonce, Mariah Carey and Snoop Dogg helping drive record streaming numbers.
The arrangement expanded in May 2026 when Netflix renewed its contract with the NFL and gained the ability to air games outside the Christmas window for the first time. 49ers-Rams is the first of five games Netflix will show this season, and two of those will also be played outside the holiday period.
The game is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 10 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia. Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET, and the matchup will air exclusively on Netflix.
There is no TV channel for the game, so anyone hoping to watch will need a Netflix subscription.
Noah Eagle will handle play-by-play, with Luke Kuechly as the lead analyst. The pregame, halftime and postgame coverage will feature Elle Duncan, Michael Irvin, Nick Foles and Clay Matthews. Tom Pelissero and MJ Acosta-Ruiz will work as sideline reporters.
In Other News...
49ers Just Became Part Of A Much Bigger NFL Showcase
A regular-season meeting between the 49ers and Rams in Melbourne was already going to stand out on the NFL calendar, and now it has become part of a much bigger production. Netflix and the league announced that the Jonas Brothers will handle halftime for the 2026 game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, adding another layer of entertainment to a matchup that will be played far from the usual NFL stage.
For San Francisco, the spotlight will be as much about the event as the football, with kickoff set for 8:35 p.m. ET and halftime expected to land deep into the night back in the United States. The performance is slated to begin sometime after the break, likely between 10:45 and 11:00 p.m. ET, and the Jonas Brothers said they were excited to take the field for what is being billed as a historic NFL showcase in Australia. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Just Made Their Defensive Tackle Problem Feel Even Worse
Alfred Collins season-ending injury in practice before Week 1 only sharpened a concern the 49ers were already carrying into the opener: the interior of their defensive line suddenly looks thinner than expected. Collins was part of the group San Francisco was counting on to help stabilize the tackle rotation, and losing him this early forces the team to reconsider how it wants to piece together snaps in the middle.
The timing is especially awkward because Bryson Eason, an undrafted free agent who turned heads in training camp and the preseason, was cut by the 49ers and then landed with the Kansas City Chiefs on their practice squad. With Collins out and Eason gone, San Francisco may have to make a roster adjustment sooner rather than later to keep the defensive tackle room from becoming a problem it can no longer paper over. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Defense Faces An Early Test With Week 1 Questions Lurking
The 49ers head into their 2026 opener in Melbourne with a defense that already looks different under new coordinator Raheem Morris. San Francisco is expected to lean on a five-man front and more nickel looks as it tries to create pressure in a scheme built for flexibility, while the Rams arrive with their own revamped unit and a headline addition in Myles Garrett. With both teams adjusting on the fly, this feels less like a clean Week 1 unveiling and more like a first glimpse at how each staff plans to survive the early part of the season.
Availability is part of the intrigue, too, because injuries are shaping the starting lineups on both sides before a snap is even played. For the 49ers, the question is whether this reworked front can show enough coordination and disruption against a division rival that has added serious talent of its own. In a matchup that will say plenty about both defenses, the first answer may come less from the final score than from which unit settles in fastest. [Read more 🡒]