Battista sees 49ers' title window open before Rams opener

Melbourne hosts the NFL's first Australia game.

Wire Report IntelligenceUpdated Sep 81 min read

"[The 49ers'] window is still wide open." Judy Battista breaks down the Rams-49ers matchup 🏈 https://t.co/sPAT67AGpK Via @espn on X

What happened: San Francisco and Los Angeles begin their 2026 schedules Sept. 10 at 5:35 p.m. PT. The divisional matchup is the first of two this season.

Why it matters: Both teams enter 0-0, so the result establishes the first NFC West tiebreaker. Their rematch is scheduled for Week 14 in San Francisco.

By the numbers: San Francisco leads the all-time series 79-72-3 and has won 10 of the past 13 regular-season road meetings. Los Angeles won the most recent matchup 42-26 in Week 10 of 2025.

What to watch: Opening lineups and inactive lists are the next checkpoints before Thursday's kickoff.

Sources

@espn 2026-09-08T12:25:49.671642+00:00

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