The 2026NFL Top 100 places three Los Angeles Rams firmly in the top-10 with Puka Nacua, Matthew Stafford and Myles Garrett all finding themselves in the top of the list. Players like Davantae Adams, Bryon Young and Kyren Williams also made the top-100 indicating that the Rams have built a star-filled team. A super team.
The NFL Top 100 Players are voted on by players for players, and so, it’s a list that often hits different than so many other lists made by talking heads and people who aren’t lining
up on Sunday’s.
Of course, players can be wrong about other players the same way pundits can. This list may not mean anything come gameday, other than the Rams have some key players other teams will gameplan against and we’ll find out whether they are successful or not.
It cannot be argued the Rams put together a great team on paper, what we do not know is how will they look on the field? How will they look over the course of the 2026 season?
We should find out very soon.
Top 100 Players of 2026, Nos. 10-1: Myles Garrett crowned after historic season, trade to Rams (nfl.com)
“We’ve run out of superlatives for Garrett, who’s had quite the year. He set a new NFL single-season sack record on the way to his second Defensive Player of the Year honor, joining the likes of new teammate Aaron Donald (three), J.J. Watt (three), Lawrence Taylor (three), Ray Lewis (two), Bruce Smith (two), Reggie White (two), Mike Singletary (two) and Joe Greene (two) as players to win multiple DPOY awards. He belongs in that company after six straight Pro Bowls (seven total), five first-team All-Pro selections and eight consecutive seasons with double-digit sacks (he had seven in his rookie season). And yet, it’s possible that the elite edge rusher’s biggest win of the last 12 months was landing in Los Angeles this offseason via trade. He did everything in his power to elevate his former club in Cleveland, with two playoff appearances and a drawer full of individual accolades to show for it. Now in L.A., he has his first real shot at getting a ring.“
San Francisco 49ers arrive in Melbourne for historic NFL game against the LA Rams (newsday)
“MELBOURNE, Australia — The San Francisco 49ers have arrived in Melbourne for their season-opening NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sept. 11.
It is expected to be the first of many regular-season NFL games in front of its growing Australian fan base.“
Rams release depth chart for Week 1 vs. 49ers (ramswire)
“The Los Angeles Rams are just a week away from kicking off their 2026 season in Australia, starting the year with a rivalry game against the San Francisco 49ers. Their 53-man roster is set and on Thursday, the Rams released their first unofficial depth chart of the regular season.
It’s much briefer than the preseason depth chart because there are 37 fewer players on it, and even though it’s unofficial, it’s still useful to see how the team looks heading into Week 1. While it’s not a direct reflection of how the coaching staff views starters and backups, it does show where the Rams are deepest and where they could use some more depth.“
Super Bowl LXI predictions: Los Angeles Rams lead seven NFL favorites to hoist Lombardi Trophy (nfl.com)
“Mike Band: Rams over Broncos. Sean Payton gets the most out of Bo Nix and a Broncos roster with no glaring weakness, but no team can match the Rams’ elite combination of quarterback, head coach and overall talent. Plus, this game is at SoFi Stadium.
Jeremy Bergman: Rams over Chargers. Another Super Bowl at SoFi, another Rams win in the Rams House. Jim Harbaugh and Co.’s dream season ends at the hands of their neighbors, with Myles Garrett logging a game-record 4.5 sacks.
Dan Parr: Rams over Broncos. As much as I’d like to pick the underdog, it’s hard to choose against the squad that could easily end up with the best offense and best defense in the league. The Rams exorcise the NFL dream team demons.
Chad Reuter: Rams over Bills. The Bills finally get their chance to bring the Lombardi Trophy to Buffalo, but Matthew Stafford and Myles Garrett are too tough to beat at SoFi Stadium in The Big Game.
Nick Shook: Rams over Bengals. Yes, we’ll run it back like it’s 2021 all over again. L.A. hosts another Super Bowl featuring the home team, which breaks the hearts of Bengals fans again in a fashion that might even include another Aaron Donald signature moment.
Raza Umerani: Rams over Ravens. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens have a dream season, but the Rams buzzsaw is inevitable. Matthew Stafford walks off into the sunset as a champion.
Mike Yam: Rams over Bills. The Rams spent the offseason grabbing headlines, and they somehow live up to the hype all season long. Superman Josh Allen gets grounded by a suffocating L.A. defense.
Lance Zierlein: Rams over Texans. Defense rules the day, and the Rams kick a field goal to break a late tie, giving Myles Garrett his first Super Bowl win.“
49ers announce defensive end Sam Okuayinonu will not play Thursday vs. Rams (nbcsports)
“Okuayinonu was not on the team flight to Melbourne, but the 49ers originally indicated it was possible that he could make a later flight if he made progress in his recovery from a foot injury. Today, the 49ers announced that Okuayinonu will not play.
Okuayinonu is an important part of the 49ers’ defense: Last year he started 12 games in the regular season and both playoff games. This year he’s expected to be a backup but get plenty of snaps in the defensive line rotation, when he gets healthy.“
Rams Need Matthew Stafford to Break This Concerning Trend to Win the Super Bowl (si.com)
“In 2011, Stafford threw for 5,038 yards and 41 touchdowns with the Detroit Lions. The very next season, he threw for less than half that, with 20 touchdowns. During the Rams’ Super Bowl season in 2021, Stafford threw for 41 touchdowns once again. While he got injured in 2022, he was only on pace for 18.9 touchdowns that season.
Last year, Stafford threw for a career-high 46 touchdowns. If the Rams are going to meet expectations in 2026, they can’t afford a massive drop-off from Stafford. Again, that isn’t to say that they need him to once again throw over 40 touchdown passes. However, it’s hard to see the Rams winning the Super Bowl if he only throws 20. He’ll need to throw at least 25 touchdown passes.“
How much will the Rams play Aaron Donald this season, and when will he debut? (ramblinfan)
“Ultimately, he will be a full-fledged starter. But a safe guess places Donald at around 500-700 snaps this season. His workload will gradually intensify as he acclimates to life in the NFL trenches. If you need a player to compare him to, the best example is nose tackle Poona Ford, who logged 508 snaps in 2025.
Rams’ cat-and-mouse tactics only serve to confuse 49ers’ Week 1 prep
While questioning what he has left in the tank is reasonable, it risks overlooking just how dominant Donald was throughout his 2014-2023 career. In short, a fraction of Donald is better than 100 percent of many starting defensive linemen. The thing is, more and more analysts believe Donald may be an early-season decoy.“
Top 25 NFL free agents in 2027: Puka Nacua, George Pickens headline way-too-early list (nfl.com)
“Nacua would already be paid long-term if not for his immaturity off the field. On it, he’s off to one of the best starts to a career for any receiver in league history.“
NFL’s top 10 defenses in 2026? Texans, Seahawks, Rams headline ranking; don’t sleep on Jags, Bucs (nfl.com)
“Did anyone enjoy this past offseason more than Rams DC Chris Shula? In March, the team filled a longstanding need at cornerback by importing the Chiefs’ stout duo of Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. In June, Los Angeles traded for the best defensive player in the game today, Myles Garrett. And in August, L.A. welcomed back one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history, Aaron Donald. McDuffie, who returned to his native land of Southern California after winning a pair of Super Bowls and earning a couple All-Pro nods over four seasons in Kansas City, can hardly believe this is reality. Earlier this week, NFL Channel‘s Andrew Siciliano asked the 25-year-old cover man how he would have reacted back in March if he’d been told all of this would come to pass.
“I probably would’ve said you’re lying, for real,” McDuffie gleefully replied.
It does feel like fantasy football. To that point, though, we still need to see how everything fits together on the actual field of play. That’s what prevents Los Angeles from shooting all the way to the top of this ranking. But entering this third season as Rams defensive coordinator, Shula has the tools to terrorize the league. Something tells me Don Shula’s grandson will be a hot head-coaching candidate in the winter.“
How the 49ers, NFL made ‘seamless’ travel plan to Australia (espn)
“As the 49ers and the NFL collaborated over the past four months to move their football operation nearly 8,000 miles from the Bay Area to Melbourne, a unique challenge emerged of ensuring no California soil hitched a ride into one of the most isolated, ecologically guarded nations on the planet. Australia enforces some of the strictest biosecurity measures in the world. Introducing any sort of invasive species, insects or plant disease could lead to ecological and/or economic disaster, per the Australian government’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. And while the cleaning process didn’t need to be over the top — the goal was to eliminate any large clumps of dirt or grass — it added a layer of consideration as the Niners prepared for departure.
“Australia is unlike any other market we’ve been to,” said Joe Valentine, the NFL’s director of international football operations & logistics. “This is a completely different operation. Being 8,000 miles away from home, 16-hour flight, 17-hour time difference, it’s very, very different than the European setup or even the South American setup that we’ve become accustomed to. We’ve been way out more in front of this one because it is so different.”
Video: Trent McDuffie discusses his trade to the Rams, Aaron’s Donald’s return and high expectations in LA (livetube.tv)
Comment of the Day:
“Multiple forms of kryptonite Philly and GB too. Man, there’s more than a couple teams on that schedule that the Rams have (in recent history) struggled with. The 49ers are always a hard out no matter however deep on the depth chart they’ve reached. Reminding myself that the last time the Rams won it all it took 3 tries to beat SF. They rose to occasion when best was required even after a winless November. What will this years team overcome to be champions?
Keep hearing this narrative of unity and brotherhood from Seattle and that has an erie familiarity with the 2001 NE Pats team. I feel nauseated writing this.“ -Badmoforamfan
