49ers vs. Rams Predictions: Thursday Night Football

Typically, the first NFL game of the regular season is a Thursday night football game. However, this year, the regular season will begin with a Super Bowl rematch between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots on Wednesday night. In an effort to continue to grow the sport outside of the United States, the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will head across the world to play an NFL Thursday night football game.

These NFC West rivals will square off in the NFL’s first game in Australia. This Week 1 game is being played on Thursday night to give both teams more time to head back across the pond, so without further ado, let’s look at the first installment of Thursday night football predictions.

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Thursday Night Football Matchup Preview

Australia is the beneficiary of a fantastic Thursday night football matchup. The Los Angeles Rams enter the year as the Super Bowl favorites after acquiring several superstars this offseason. Sportsbooks have been inundated with Super Bowl futures bets on the Rams, yet they aren’t big favorites in their first game of the season. That’s because Kyle Shanahan is 11-7 against Sean McVay since both teams took over their teams.

Team Records & Recent Form

Both teams are 0-0 ahead of Week 1. San Francisco has the overall edge against Los Angeles, but McVay has had more luck against Shanahan recently. The Rams are 4-2 against the 49ers over the last three years.

Key Injuries & Roster Updates

One of the recurring themes for San Francisco in recent years has been injuries. This is one of the most talented teams in the NFL, but the 49ers can never seem to get everyone healthy. Accordingly, George Kittle and Nick Bosa might not be able to suit up in San Francisco’s season opener. Kittle has been rehabbing from a torn Achilles’ heel that he sustained in the playoffs last season, while Bosa tore his ACL in Week 1 last year.

The Rams might be without two of their stars too though. New acquisition Myles Garrett has been dealing with a knee injury, and standout receiver Puka Nacua tweaked his groin.

Storylines to Watch

Aside from the injury issues, it will be interesting to see how quickly the Rams are set up along the defensive line. The addition of Garrett made this one of the most feared pass rushing units in the league, and Aaron Donald coming out of retirement could make the Rams one of the all-time best pass rushing teams. Donald was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2017, 2018, and 2020, while Garrett won the award in 2023 and 2025.

Thursday Night Football Odds

Currently, the Thursday night football odds have the Los Angeles Rams favored by 3.5 points over the San Francisco 49ers. The total is listed at 48 points, making it one of the higher over/unders of the week.

Point Spread Odds

This line was as low as Rams -2.5 at one point, but the 49ers’ injury woes have helped move the line over three. We have seen five of the last 13 games between these teams decided by a field goal, so that’s an even more significant move than usual.

Moneyline Odds

The oddsmakers have made the Los Angeles Rams a -200 moneyline favorite against the San Francisco 49ers. That means a bettor looking to back the Rams to win would need to wager $200 to win $100 at this price. Conversely, a $100 bet on San Francisco at the current odds of +175 would lead to a $175 profit if the 49ers can pull off the upset.

Over/Under Odds

In the past, we saw lower totals during Week 1, but teams have been able to hit the ground running more on offense in recent years.

Thursday Night Football Predictions

Football fans won’t be the only ones tuning into this game as sleep scientists around the country have been noting that the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams are taking drastically different approaches in preparation for this game. San Francisco is flying out more than a week before the game to acclimate to Australia, while Los Angeles is planning to arrive the day before the game. This game will kick off on Friday morning in Melbourne, so it will be interesting to see how the players’ body clocks align with the early start.

Winner Prediction

Although most pundits will back the Rams in their Thursday night football picks, I will take the 49ers given the situation. This game feels like a toss-up with all the variables and injury issues, and there are a lot of the things the Rams will need to work through with their new roster.

Score Prediction

San Francisco 49ers 23, Los Angeles Rams 20

X-Factor of the Game

Jet lag might end up being the deciding factor of this game. The Rams are using the same formula that worked for them in London last season, but this is a much longer distance to travel with a much earlier kickoff. It’s a pretty big risk to take a 14-hour flight the day before a game, and it has the potential to backfire in a big way.

Best Bets for Thursday Night Football

As the weeks progress, favorites and home teams tend to perform better when it comes to Thursday night football best bets. Those sides benefit from the shorter weeks and limited preparation, but that isn’t the case in Week 1. If any team is more prepared, it should be the 49ers given their travel plans, and that’s a big part of why I’m on the San Francisco moneyline.

Best Spread Bet

San Francisco 49ers +3.5

Best Moneyline Bet

San Francisco 49ers +175

Best Total Bet

Under 48 points

Thursday Night Football Player Props

There will be plenty of NFL player props to choose from next week, but the NFL props have yet to be released for Thursday Night Football given the travel and injury variables with these teams.

Passing Props

Matt Stafford should have a number in the 260s for this game, and I think Stafford will go over that number. Conversely, Brock Purdy will be projected to throw for around 250 yards against the Rams, and I think he will fall short of that mark.

Rushing Props

Plenty of attention has been given to the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive line, but it might be easier to run on this front than what is assumed earlier in the season. That’s why I will take a long look at Christian McCaffrey’s rushing yards total.

Receiving Props

Betting against preseason hype can be one of the most profitable angles early in the season. Few rookies have received as much glowing press as De’Zhaun Stribling, so I expect to see an inflated total even though he has yet to play a game that matters. Stribling was the first pick of the second round in the 2026 NFL Draft, and many are expecting him to play a big role in this offense considering the Brandon Aiyuk drama. However, I expect the 49ers to look more towards Deebo Samuel, Kittle, and veteran Mike Evans.

Anytime Touchdown Scorer

Christian McCaffrey is the best bet here given the number of touches he gets in a game when he’s healthy. McCaffrey is an elite receiver out of the backfield, and he has scored 98 total touchdowns in 112 career regular season games.

Thursday Night Football Betting Trends

The NFL betting trends for Thursday night football favor home teams and favorites. Teams on short rest greatly benefit from playing on their home turf and limiting their travel, while visitors have extra hurdles to overcome given the short weeks.

Against the Spread Trends

San Francisco was a sparkling 11-6 ATS in the regular season last year, including a 26-23 overtime win against Los Angeles as a 7.5-point underdog. Meanwhile, the Rams were a sterling 12-5 ATS in the regular season, but they failed to cover the number in all three of their playoff games.

Over/Under Trends

The under tends to cash more often on Thursday Night Football games as offenses aren’t as prepared. However, the Over is 6-1 in the last seven games between the Rams and the 49ers.

Head-to-Head Trends

The 49ers had the head-to-head advantage in this NFC West rivalry for a while, but the Rams have had the upper hand since acquiring Matthew Stafford.

How to Bet on Thursday Night Football

There aren’t many NFL betting tips specific to Thursday Night Football when it comes to Week 1. That’s especially the case given the uniqueness of the NFL’s first game in Australia, so it’s best not to read too much into the result of this game no matter the outcome.

Understanding NFL Betting Markets

Betting odds have been out for months prior to Week 1, so there typically isn’t a lot of movement before kickoff. However, a late injury or a surprise start could lead to a line shift.

Tips for Betting Thursday Night Football

There is typically value in underdogs and unders on Thursday Night Football as the short weeks make it harder to cover large spreads.

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