The NFL opens its 2026 season with a high-stakes NFC West showdown on neutral ground. The San Francisco 49ers face the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday, September 10, at 8:35 p.m. ET (10:35 a.m. Friday local time) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia the league’s first regular season game Down Under, streaming exclusively on Netflix.

The 2026 NFL season kicks off in unusual fashion this week not on the traditional Thursday night, but on a Wednesday. On September 9th, the New England Patriots travel to Lumen Field to face the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in a rematch of Super Bowl LX, where Seattle beat New England 29-13 back in February. Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC, with streaming on Peacock and NFL+.

The NFC West enters 2026 season as arguably the best division in football. Three teams from this group made the playoffs a year ago the Seahawks, Rams, and 49ers. They all finished with double-digit win totals and every one of them got better this offseason. Only the Cardinals are in full rebuild mode after finishing the season 3-14 last year. Here's how the four teams stack up, and who's most likely to walk away with the division crown.