The 2026 NFL season is officially underway! The Seahawks successfully defended their title last night, and their main competition for the NFC West crown kicks off in Australia tonight as the Rams take on the 49ers.
Getting as far away as possible from the electrical substation and East Palestine, Ohio trailer parks should bode well for San Francisco. For the Rams, Puka Nacua can now blame bite marks on the terrifying Australian wildlife. Gotta love NFL international play!
49ers at Rams (-3.5)
If you ask some NFL fans, they’d tell you the Rams were the best team in the NFL last year. They fell short against the Seahawks in an electric NFC championship game, and their response was to go out and make sure that there’s no mistaking who’s the best this year.
The biggest addition is future Hall-of-Famer Myles Garrett. All he did last year was break the NFL single-season sack record. Doing so on a horrendous Browns team makes the feat even more impressive, as there weren’t many teams having the throw the ball late in games to beat Cleveland. The Rams defense was already a strength, and with the announcement of Aaron Donald returning in a few weeks, it’s easily the best defensive line in the league on paper. They also added former Chief cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. McDuffie has been a top 5 corner in the past, and Watson is coming off his best year as a pro.
We’ve gotten this far without mentioning the NFL MVP, and that’s how you know the Rams are stacked. Matthew Stafford returns for (presumably) one last ride, and he’s not alone. Puka Nacua led the league in receiving yards per game (107.2), and his running mate Davante Adams led the league in receiving TDs (14) by a comfortable margin. The passing attack will remain elite as long as the Rams’ experienced offensive line keeps the 38-year-old Stafford upright and clears holes for the perpetually underrated Kyren Williams.
The San Francisco 49ers season always seems to boil down to health. Every team gets injured every year, but for San Fran, it always seems to be their best. Whether it’s Christian McCaffery, George Kittle, Brock Purdy, Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, they can never quite seem to avoid the injury bug. Even head coach Kyle Shanahan missed some time in training camp due to injuries sustained in a car crash. This is a team that was forced to play Josh Johnson in the NFC Championship game 3 years ago. This is the same Josh Johnson that proudly owns the record of playing for more NFL teams (14) than anyone else in league history. Not great!
So what’s the remedy for an oft-injured roster? San Francisco is hoping that it’s Mike Evans. Evans had been Mr. Reliable throughout his career, eclipsing 1,000 years in his first 11 seasons. But, that incredible streak came to an end last year. Evans suffered hamstring and collarbone injuries on top of a concussion, and was limited to just 5 games. Sounds like a 49er already.
Honestly, most of the news surrounding San Francisco this offseason was negative. Their owner was caught soliciting prostitution for $140 in a trailer park, a guy named Daejon Love scammed women out of a million dollars pretending to be on the team, and the entire internet is convinced their players are hurt because they practice next to an electrical substation. But, Kyle Shanahan has dealt with adversity before, and he’s 11-8 vs. Sean McVay as head coach (including playoffs). According to Trey Wingo, no other coach has more than 5 wins against arguably the best coach in the game right now.
The silver lining is that for now, most of the roster is healthy. Purdy, Kittle, Bosa, McCaffrey, Warner, and company are ready to get back to action in week one. The Rams and Seahawks dominated last year, and that may be causing people to forget that the 49ers went 12-5 and made the playoffs. Adding to the big names you already know, rookie receiver De’Zhaun Stribling out of Ole Miss was a go-to guy in the preseason. Stribling will add a much-needed jolt of youth into the receiving core, and he’ll contend with Evans and Deebo Samuel to be WR1 in the Bay Area (Santa Clara). Keep everyone on the field, and the 49ers have the talent and experience to keep rolling.
The Picks
Last night, I gave out Patriots +3.5 and AJ Brown over 62.5 yards receiving. The Patriots covered, and my AJ Brown bet was voided due to his ankle injury (shoutout to FanDuel). So, all in all, I’m saying we’re 1-0 to start the season. Let’s build!
De’Zhaun Stribling Over 2.5 Receptions: Purdy praised Stribling’s “strong hands” after playing with him in the preseason, and even mentioned that he feels comfortable going to Stribling on third down when they need to stay on the field. With the Rams’ top DBs committing attention to Evans, Kittle, and McCaffery in those spots, the opportunity is there for Stribling to earn some receptions, especially if the vets get dinged up again.
Rams -3.5: It’s hard not to buy into the “super team” hype. Vegas might be setting a trap for us here, but I’m willing to take it. The Rams top two receivers are going to be too much for the Niners corners, and I think they’ll put up more than enough to cover 3.5 points. Plus, after an offensive snoozer last night, Goodell is going to hit the Buffalo Wild Wings button and get some points on the board.
Good luck!
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