The Los Angeles Rams entered 2026 as the runaway favorites to win Super Bowl LXI, and it wasn’t close. Sean McVay traded for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, then completed a blockbuster move for reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, then watched Aaron Donald come out of retirement to complete the defensive overhaul. Matthew Stafford, the reigning MVP, got his extension.
On paper, this was the most talented roster McVay had ever assembled — built, unmistakably, to finally get past the one team standing in its way. Seattle had beaten these Rams twice last season on its march to the Lombardi Trophy, including a gutting NFC Championship Game loss that sent McVay into an offseason of spending sprees. Everything about the roster construction pointed at one target: Super Bowl LXI, which will take place in the Rams’ state-of-the-art SoFi Stadium home.
NFC West Delivers Dramatic Start to 2026
Then the season actually kicked off, and the division’s supposed hierarchy reverted to type in less than 48 hours. Seattle opened its Super Bowl LX rematch with New England on a Wednesday night at Lumen Field as a narrow betting favorite. The Patriots Vs Seahawks odds at kickoff made the Seahawks a narrow 3.5-point favorite before Sam Darnold went down on practically the first drive — sacked by Dre’Mont Jones on the sixth offensive snap, limping to the tent with a hip injury that had him ruled out by halftime.
The Patriots tiptoed their way to a 10-0 lead, and it looked as though they would secure their revenge for what happened in Santa Clara seven months ago. Then, backup quarterback Drew Lock took over cold and delivered exactly what Seattle needed: a fourth-quarter, 45-yard touchdown throw to Jaxon Smith-Njigba to tie it, before putting Jason Myers in position to hammer home a go-ahead field goal. New England’s own superstar QB Drake Maye had himself a miserable evening — three interceptions, the last one snagged by Josh Jobe in the end zone with the Patriots in position for a game-tying field goal attempt, ending any hope of overtime. Seattle survived, 13-10.
Twenty-four hours later, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, in the NFL’s first-ever regular-season game in Australia, the Rams’ star-studded offseason met its first real exam and failed it in shocking fashion. They were mauled 27-7 by NFC West rival San Francisco, holding MVP Stafford to just 155 yards and an interception while Myles Garrett — the centerpiece of the whole offseason reinforcement — finished with zero tackles in his Rams debut.
So, are the Rams still the team to beat on hype and names alone? Do the Seahawks remain the standard bearers? Are the Niners alive in this fight? Let’s find out.
Back to the Drawing Board for the Rams
Let’s be honest about what the MCG actually exposed for the Rams — not just a bad night, but a roster sold as destiny getting outclassed in every phase by a team picked to finish behind it. Sean McVay spent the offseason reassembling the most talented roster of his tenure, sending draft capital to Kansas City for McDuffie before signing him to a four-year, $124 million extension, then flipping Jared Verse and future picks to Cleveland for Garrett.
Donald’s return on a one-year deal worth up to $30 million gave the line a Hall of Fame anchor, and Stafford’s extension locked in the quarterback who’d just won MVP. On paper, nobody in the conference could match it.
@luckyrebel_ Is this the so-called “super team” that Aaron Donald came out of retirement for? The San Francisco 49ers take care of business in Melbourne, crushing the Los Angeles Rams. This is your lesson to not mess around with jet lag, future travelers. #NFL #LosAngeles #Rams #SanFrancisco #49ers ♬ original sound - Lucky Rebel
On the field in Australia, none of it showed up. Stafford was held to 155 yards and an interception, the Rams managed just 265 total yards, and Garrett — the centerpiece of the whole makeover — recorded zero tackles in his debut. Some of that traces to travel, with Los Angeles arriving in Melbourne a mere 24 hours before kickoff, while San Francisco had been Down Under for a week. But travel doesn’t explain going 2-of-9 on third down against a division rival.
One loss doesn’t undo an aggressive offseason. It just means the pressure McVay bought himself is now his to answer.
Seahawks Remain Imperious
Consider what it means for Seattle that a shaky quarterback situation and a backup forced into relief still wasn’t enough to stop the Dark Side from doing exactly what it did in February. The Seahawks lost plenty this offseason — Kenneth Walker III to Kansas City, Boye Mafe to Cincinnati, Riq Woolen to Philadelphia, Coby Bryant to Chicago — and handed play-calling duties to a new offensive coordinator. But John Schneider prioritized his own, locking up Jaxon Smith-Njigba on a four-year, $168.6 million extension and Devon Witherspoon on a four-year, $132 million deal, retaining the core of a defense that’s still stacked with high-graded returnees.
Then came the eerie rhyme with the Super Bowl itself. Darnold went down on the sixth offensive snap, sacked into a hip injury, and Lock had to steer the offense the rest of the way — 16-of-22 for 187 yards, capped by a 45-yard touchdown to Smith-Njigba that tied the game before Jason Myers’ go-ahead field goal and a fourth-quarter Josh Jobe interception sealed it. Maye, meanwhile, threw three picks.
Gritty rather than dominant, sure, and Darnold’s recovery timeline is now a genuine storyline, but Mike Macdonald’s foundation just got tested again, and once more, it passed with flying colors.
Are the Niners a Genuine Third Horse in this Race?
Can San Francisco really be dismissed from the conversation after routing the league’s most talked-about roster by three touchdowns in its own showcase game? Written out of the Super Bowl picture over the summer, the 49ers quietly rebuilt around Fred Warner’s return from a fractured, dislocated ankle and the free-agent addition of Mike Evans to a receiving corps already riding the wave of Deebo Samuel’s return. Nobody outside the Bay Area seemed to notice.
Everybody noticed in Melbourne. Brock Purdy shook off an early interception to go 25-of-34 for 205 yards and three touchdown passes, including a two-yard strike to Evans in his 49ers debut, while cornerback Renardo Green intercepted Stafford in the second quarter and San Francisco’s defense stuffed a fourth-and-goal quarterback sneak to keep the Rams pinned at seven points for three straight quarters.
An aging roster still has visible cracks in places. But a 27-7 statement win against the team everyone anointed in July has already forced a rewrite of the summer’s storyline.