The San Francisco 49ers go toe-to-toe against the Los Angeles Rams to kick off the 2026 NFL season.But the clash between two NFC West divisional rivals will be played more than 7,800 miles away from home.The 49ers and Rams clash in the NFL’s historic Melbourne game this weekAFPThe West Coast teams are contesting the NFL‘s first regular season game in Melbourne, Australia.San Francisco touched down last week, and will spend seven days Down Under, to acclimatize to a different environment.The Rams, meanwhile, will fly in and spend far less time in Australia, in a bid to beat the jet-lag.A battle in front of 100,000 fans at Melbourne Cricket Ground will be an early marker for each team’s Super Bowl aspirations.NFL Weekly Newsletter - SIGN UP!talkSPORT is your home for NFL in the UK as we launch our biggest year of coverage yet!2026 promises to be an epic year for NFL on talkSPORT – and we want you to join us for the ride.MORE INFO & SIGN-UP HERE!This season will be our biggest ever with live commentary of 90+ games, including behind-the-scenes access to international games and all three London fixtures, plus bumper coverage of Super Bowl 61 at SoFi Stadium.Exclusive interviews, hard-hitting opinion, latest front-office drama and top breaking news – all delivered straight to your inbox each week.While Los Angeles have long been made favorites to lift the Lombardi Trophy, returning Niners star George Kittle knows his team have high hopes of their own.In fact, he thinks the arrival of $42.4 million wide receiver Mike Evans could be key to a deep playoff run.Speaking to talkSPORT’s Will Gavin from Melbourne, the tight end explained how his new teammate will help unlock San Francisco’s dangerous offense.George Kittle praises impact of 49ers free agent“He’s just a master of his craft,” Kittle said of Evans, who arrived in March as a free agent, having spent 12 years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.“You don’t have to give him coaching points. You’re like, ‘Hey Mike, this is your route.’ And then he runs it in a way that isn’t on paper, but he’s wide open by the end of it.“He’s just so good at his job. It’s really fun to watch somebody who’s a master of their craft just go to work every single day. He’s always open. He always beats every coverage. It’s pretty cool to be a part of.”Evans has been named by Kittle as the star who can transform the 49ers offenseGettyWhen asked if having a weapon like Evans can help Kittle get more open himself in 2026, the tight end had an emphatic response, and made a plea to quarterback Brock Purdy, who is one of the highest-paid signal callers in the NFL.“I would have flippin’ hoped so,” Kittle responded.“But, I’m also concerned that if Mike Evans is on the field, Purdy is only going to throw it to him. So we’ve got to spread it out, Brock!“You never know though, with quarterbacks. I think I’m too nice. He’s comfortable telling me off. I think that’s what it is.”Niners star reveals how beer and tequila helped tough offseason rehabKittle, of course, is coming off a tough injury sustained back in January.He tore his Achilles tendon in a playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles, and has been working hard to get in game shape for Week 1.Kittle hopes to play in Week 1, eight months after suffering a torn AchillesGettyAll has gone to plan, and Kittle is expected to feature against the Rams, exactly eight months after that Achilles tear.“It’s really boring,” the tight end said of his summer rehab.“There’s only so many ways to do a calf raise, and in your first six to 12 weeks, you’re basically just doing calf raises.“So you do seated calf raises, and then once you can kind of stand, you do standing calf raises, and there’s every variation of that.Kittle described his injury rehab as ‘boring’AFP“It’s just a very boring rehab for the first 15 to 20 weeks. And then once you can get back on the field, you can actually have some more fun with it.”The work might have been boring, but Kittle stayed committed.“I think I rehabbed at a really high level,” he added.“I did it like six, seven days a week, the entire offseason. I was really good with my diet, positive energy, and I drank a good amount of beer.Beer and tequila helped Kittle through his Achilles rehab this summerGetty“And I think those things are one of the reasons I’m back before eight months.”Beer wasn’t the only treat that helped Kittle through a time period.“I did get a lot of tequila. I got hurt. I asked for a bottle of tequila. It was there five minutes later — and that story kind of got out,” he explained.“Then the next thing I know, I’m getting dozens of bottles of tequila from multiple different companies. They’re showing up at my locker. They’re showing up at my marketing agency in New York.Kittle and the 49ers have Super Bowl aspirations in 2026Getty“And I just have all these bottles of tequila that, physically, I don’t think I could drink them in a lifetime.“That’s how much tequila I got for free. So thank you to all the tequila companies. It’s been fantastic.”“I think my Christmas gifts this year for the team are just gonna be bottles of tequila.”Before those festive gifts are handed out, there is plenty of football to be played this fall, and Kittle will be a key part of a 49ers offense competing week-to-week.The first — and perhaps toughest test — comes against the Super Bowl favorite Rams in Melbourne.Join talkSPORT’s dedicated US Sports YouTube channel The S* Word every Tuesday and Thursday for our brand new NFL shows.On Tuesdays, Will Gavin and US senior reporter Brian T. Smith will debate the biggest talking points from the NFL weekend, while on Thursdays, Efe Obada joins the crew to talk with players past and present and break down what to look for across the league.