On Thursday, September 10, the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia will host the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams for a big early-season tilt in the NFC West. With that in mind, keep reading for betting odds, picks, and player props for this exciting showdown. Also, make sure you head over to our Week 1 NFL Betting Hub for a look at all of our NFL betting content.
MORE: Head to the Pro Picks page for best bets from all of our VSiN hosts and analysts!
How To Watch 49ers vs. Rams
When: Thursday, September 10 at 8:35 pm ET
Where: Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia
Channel: Netflix
49ers vs. Rams Odds
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook accurate as of Tuesday, September 8. Look around for the best prices!
Moneyline: Rams -198, 49ers +164
Spread: Rams -3.5 (-112) 49ers +3.5 (-108)
Total: Over 48.5 (-108), Under 48.5 (-112)
49ers vs. Rams Analysis
A lot has been made about the way these teams approached the trip to Melbourne. The 49ers decided to give themselves a week in Australia, hoping they can get used to the change in time zones prior to kickoff. Meanwhile, the Rams left for Australia on Tuesday, attempting to stay on their usual schedule. There seems to be benefits to both strategies. On one hand, being in Australia for an extended period time might seem like the right call, but many doctors will tell you that you need roughly 17 days to truly adjust your body clock. So, while it might seem like Los Angeles’ decision was foolish, there’s a method to the madness. With that in mind, I’m not going to pretend to be an expert when it comes to handicapping the physical readiness of these players. I’m going to trust that the medical staffs for both of these teams know what they’re doing. I’ll just worry about the matchup.
The Rams are viewed as the best team in the NFL this season, as they added Myles Garrett, who had 23 sacks last year, to a roster that was already capable of contending. The team also brought back superstar Aaron Donald, who hasn’t played since the 2023 season. At some point, we’ll see those two team up to be a game-wrecking duo on defense, which will be crazy to see considering how good the Rams are on offense. However, we won’t see it in Week 1, as Donald didn’t travel with the team to Melbourne. Still, this is a Los Angeles team that was second in the NFL in EPA/play on offense (0.149) last year, and the team was also tied for sixth in the NFL in EPA/play allowed on defense (-0.051). The 49ers didn’t possess that kind of balance. While they were sixth in the NFL in EPA/play (0.091), they were down at 24th in EPA/play allowed on defense (0.070).
A lot of things look to favor the Rams heading into this game, but I happen to like what the 49ers have to offer this year. While things did get out of hand on defense last season, Nick Bosa will play in Week 1 after having torn his ACL last season. San Francisco also happened to trade for Osa Odighizuwa, a big defensive tackle who should bolster the defensive line immediately. There’s a real chance the 49ers look like a much-improved unit on defense, and the offense should be spectacular. Not only are Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, and George Kittle back, but San Francisco added a true No. 1 wideout in Mike Evans. This offense hasn’t had a real star on the outside in quite some time, and the Niners should now have one of the most explosive passing games in the league.
Of course, it should be noted that acquiring Garrett wasn’t the only big move the Rams made. They also traded for star corner Trent McDuffie, plus they signed Jaylen Watson. This could be a very good secondary in 2026. But this is still a game in which it’s difficult to trust the defense. Kyle Shanahan hasn’t had much recent success against Sean McVay, but he’s one of the brightest offensive minds in the league. He also has the healthiest team we have seen in a while. I think the 49ers will be able to move the ball consistently, and I think they’ll look like they belong on the same field as the Super Bowl betting favorites.
Something else that’s worth mentioning is that underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points are 61-31 against the spread in Weeks 1 through 3 when the underdog is a team that had a completion percentage of 64% or better the previous year. That system is +26.9 units for an ROI of 26.6%.
49ers vs. Rams Player Props
LEAN: Kyle Juszczyk Over 4.5 Receiving Yards (-120)
Last season, Juszczyk averaged 14.5 receiving yards per game against the Rams. He’s a solid pass-catching weapon considering the position he plays, and Shanahan always seem to get him involved when the 49ers have a ton of time to prepare for games. Also, our OptaAI player prop projections have Juszczyk finishing with 12.62 receiving yards in this one. That’s an edge of 35.5% to the Over, making it one of the few three-star confidence plays on our prop projections page.
49ers vs. Rams Pick
San Francisco is one of the few teams in the league with the talent to match Los Angeles, and the line movement for this matchup is hard to ignore. The Rams moved from -2.5 to -3.5 at Circa Sports, which means this game crossed through a key number. Well, in a divisional meeting between two excellent teams, I’ll take the points and hope it’s decided by a field goal — especially on a neutral field. Also, if you look hard enough, you can find San Francisco +4.
Bet: 49ers +4 (-110)
