49ers vs. Rams Opening Odds for Thursday Night Football in Week 1 (Line Movement Towards L.A.)

Thursday Night Football in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season features one of the best matchups of the week, as the Los Angeles Rams take on the San Francisco 49ers in Australia for their first of two meetings this season.

These NFC West rivals are both coming off playoff appearances in 2025, though the Rams made the NFC title game and were one of the best teams in the league all season long. L.A. enters Week 1 as the favorite to win this game, the Super Bowl, the NFC and the NFC West.

So, an upset win by Kyle Shanahan’s group could go a long way towards shaking up the futures market.

The 49ers dealt with a litany of injuries last season, including season-ending ailment for Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, but they are much healthier entering Week 1. Quarterback Brock Purdy, who dealt with turf toe last season, is looking to get the 49ers back in the mix to win the Super Bowl after leading them there in the 2023 season.

He’ll have his hands full in Week 1 against a Rams defense that added Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie in trades and welcomed Aaron Donald back out of retirement for the 2026 campaign. L.A.’s defense now has as much star power as the offense, which returns MVP Matthew Stafford, Kyren Williams, Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.

This game is a terrific way to kick off the 2026 season, so why not take a look at the early odds?

Here’s where things stand between these NFC West rivals with this matchup just eight days away.

49ers vs. Rams Odds, Spread and Total for Week 1

Odds via BetMGM Sportsbook

Spread

49ers +3.5 (-108)
Rams -3.5 (-112)

Moneyline

49ers: +165
Rams: -200

Total

48.5 (Over -108/Under -112)

There has been some movement in the odds for this Week 1 matchup, as the Rams opened as just 2.5 point favorites in this neutral site matchup. Now, they’re -200 to win the game and the spread has moved through the key number of three.

“Not a lot of significant line movement at this time, most would be driven by injury news to quarterbacks, but the Rams did move from -2.5 to -3.5 versus the 49ers,” Christian Cipollini, Senior Trading Manager, BetMGM told Sports Illustrated.

“The combo of the 49ers dealing with injuries to WR/TE and the Rams trading for Myles Garrett and adding Donald (drove the line movement).”

The Rams are the clear Super Bowl favorite entering Week 1, and the additions they made to their defense (Donald, Garrett, Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson) are certainly a major reason why.

After Matthew Stafford won the league MVP in the 2025 campaign, expectations remain sky-high for the Rams entering this season, and John Fanta told Sports Illustrated earlier this week that he believes this season is “Super Bowl or bust,” for L.A.

The 49ers have already dealt with injuries in training camp and are hoping to eventually get George Kittle (Achilles) back in action after he was injured last season. San Francisco survived a litany of injuries to make the playoffs – and win a playoff game in 2025 – so it’s hard to count out Kyle Shanahan’s group no matter the circumstances.

Based on the -200 odds for the Rams on the moneyline, they have an implied probability of 66.7 percent to start the season 1-0. This is a tough matchup to handicap a homefield advantage, especially since it’s the first NFL game in Australia.

One thing to watch: Shanahan has an 11-7 record against Sean McVay in their respective careers, and the 49ers are 22-17 as road underdogs since Shanahan became their head coach in 2017. However, they’re just 32-29 against the spread as underdogs overall, posting an average scoring margin of minus-4.4 points in those games.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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