The NFL is already twisting its own rules, and not for the first time, all because of our Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks. After a bunch of griping about playing a Week 1 game on a Friday, which apparently steps all over America’s amateur football nights, the league just went ahead and moved our champs’ opener up a night to Thursday. While our guys get that prime-time slot, the league decided to send two *other* teams halfway across the world for their Thursday night kickoff.
Melbourne Madness for the Rams and Niners
Talk about a consolation prize! Instead of battling our Seahawks for the Super Bowl, the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers are getting shipped off to Melbourne, Australia to start their season. It’s almost like a punishment for not getting there themselves, right? This “neutral-site tilt” has the Rams opening as -3.5 favorites over the 49ers, with a 48.5 total, which is interesting because that line opened at -3 (+100) for L.A. That half-point move? Probably has everything to do with the Rams making some serious moves: they didn’t just trade for Myles Garrett, they also pulled Aaron Donald out of retirement! Garrett is PFF’s top pass-rusher, commanding a league-high double-team rate around 30% for his previous team. You gotta expect that kind of impact, even with Donald skipping this opener. The Rams also beefed up their secondary by adding Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson from Kansas City.
The 49ers are Dining Out, But Who’s Buying?
The Niners, meanwhile, finished last season with a 12-5 record and are apparently “dining out” on it. Yeah, they’ve got Fred Warner and Nick Bosa back, and maybe Brock Purdy is a 4-point upgrade over Mac Jones, who started for them in both meetings against the Rams last season. Jones put up solid numbers, mind you: 33-of-39 for 319 yards in a 42-26 home loss, and a turnover-free 342 yards in their first meeting. But let’s be real, outside of that “quasi-miracle win” against the Rams in overtime and “stealing a victory” in Philadelphia during the divisional round, the 49ers were “outplayed by the best teams” last year. Oh, and yeah, they *did* beat our Seahawks in Week 1 last season. Don’t think we forgot that.
So, while those two are down under trying to kick off their season without getting heatstroke, our Super Bowl Champion Seahawks are getting ready for an early start right here. This Week 1 Aussie clash is going to set the tone for two of our division rivals, and trust me, the 12s will be watching every snap, even if it’s super early in the morning for us. It’s an early look at what the rest of the NFC West has cooking.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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