American football: the main stories of 09.09.2026

The NFL's first regular-season game in Australia kicks off at the MCG on Friday, and the league has come to Melbourne with a second agenda item that has little to do with the 49ers and the Rams. Executives are using the week to lobby for flag football at the Brisbane 2032 Olympics — a possibility that, according to the reports, was itself a reason Melbourne landed the fixture. The game is close to a sell-out with millions more watching on Netflix, which gives the pitch a number to point at. Kyle Shanahan, meanwhile, gave the assembled press nothing on his plans, and the trip has already cost him a defender.

Alfred Collins, the 49ers' starting defensive tackle, tore a patellar tendon at training in Australia on Tuesday and one outlet reports he will miss all of 2026 — the club flew out early precisely to settle before the opener, and it is the trip that has taken a starter off the line. In Kansas City, Andy Reid said Patrick Mahomes has "very good chances" of starting against Denver, per a single report so far, which repeats what came out of the Chiefs camp earlier in the week rather than adding to it.

• Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud, whose contract talks the Texans shelved after a poor 2025, told an outlet that "pressure is a privilege" ahead of his fourth season — one source, unconfirmed.
• Week 1 runs from 10 to 14 September: Seattle host New England on 10 September at 03:20, the Rams meet San Francisco on 11 September, with the rest of the round through the weekend.