Clay Matthews talks Rams-49ers Netflix broadcast ahead of Australia game
Former NFL linebacker Clay Matthews talks about calling the Rams vs. 49ers game in Australia for Netflix, his broadcasting role and what fans can expect from the matchup.
“Thursday Night Football” isn’t back until Week 2, but Thursday night football is happening in Week 1. Are you following? If not, don’t worry – it only gets more complicated from here.
The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams are playing their first matchup of the 2026 NFL season in Melbourne, Australia on Friday, Sept. 11 – in Australia Eastern Time. Thanks to the differences in time zones from down under to the United States, the NFC West matchup, which is scheduled for 10:35 a.m. on Sept. 11 locally in Melbourne, will take place on Sept. 10 at 8:35 p.m. Eastern Time (5:35 p.m. Pacific Time) in the U.S.
As if that weren’t confusing enough, the game is not part of Amazon’s broadcasting rights for the 2026 season, so it’s not an official “Thursday Night Football” game. Instead, Netflix will air the matchup live on Thursday night (for U.S. audiences). The streaming giant has branded the game the “NFL Melbourne Game” on its official press releases.
What’s more, this game on Thursday night won’t be the first matchup of NFL Week 1. The league pushed up its annual “NFL Kickoff” game to Wednesday, Sept. 9, so the 49ers-Rams clash will be the second game of the 2026 NFL season and Week 1 slate.
Here’s what to know about the Week 1 Thursday night game:
Is there a Thursday Night Football game tonight?
There is an NFL game airing tonight, but it won’t be the traditional “Thursday Night Football” format that the league will have for most of the remaining regular season.
On Thursday, Sept. 10 (for U.S. time zones), the 49ers and Rams will kick off their matchup in Melbourne, Australia. The Week 1 NFC West face-off will take place on Friday, Sept. 11 local time, but due to time zone differences, the game will be on Sept. 10 for U.S.-based audiences.
In addition to the uniqueness of location – it’s the first NFL regular season game in Australia – and time zone disparity, the game’s broadcast will be different from most “Thursday Night Football” games this year. Instead of a live broadcast provided by Amazon Prime Video nationwide, the 49ers-Rams Week 1 game will be available to watch live on Netflix.
Here’s a look at the Week 1 schedule:
NFL Week 1 schedule
(All times Eastern.)
Wednesday, Sept. 9
- Seattle Seahawks , New England Patriots
Thursday, Sept. 10
Sunday, Sept. 13
- Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m., CBS
- Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans, 1 p.m., CBS
- Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m., CBS
- New York Jets at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m., CBS
- Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m., Fox
- Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m., Fox
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m., Fox
- New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions, 1 p.m., Fox
- Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Chargers, 4:25 p.m., CBS
- Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings, 4:25 p.m., CBS
- Miami Dolphins at Las Vegas Raiders, 4:25 p.m., Fox
- Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:25 p.m., Fox
- Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants, 8:20 p.m., NBC
Monday, Sept. 14
- Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs, 8 p.m., ESPN/ABC