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By Michael Gallagher
Sports Content Coordinator
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There is a fair amount of buzz surrounding the Week 1 matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, which will take place in Melbourne, Australia — the first-ever NFL game played in the country as part of the league’s International Series.
It will take place on a Thursday, and instead of airing on Amazon Prime like traditional “Thursday Night Football” games, it will instead be aired on Netflix as part of the streaming platform’s 2026 broadcast deal with the NFL.
With so many eyes on that game, Netflix took a major step toward building out its broadcast roster last week when it signed Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly to be its in-game analyst for Week 1. Kuechly will work alongside NBC’s Noah Eagle, who will serve as play-by-play analyst.
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In addition to Kuechly, Netflix made two more significant hires for that broadcast, bringing in two former Super Bowl champions and Pro Bowlers to help bolster the broadcast experience.
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“Netflix has hired Nick Foles and Clay Matthews as studio analysts for its Week 1 #49ers vs. #Rams game in Melbourne, Australia,” Ari Meirov of the 33rd Team reported. “They’ll join Elle Duncan and Michael Irvin for the pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage.”
Neither Matthews nor Foles has any prior broadcast experience. However, Tony Romo, Greg Olsen, Tom Brady, Jason Kelce, and several other retired NFLers have shown former players lend an expertise in their analysis that tends to resonate well with viewers.
Netflix’s 2026 NFL broadcast schedule:
Week 1 | Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers (Australia)
Week 12 | Green Bay Packers vs. Los Angeles Rams (Thanksgiving Eve)
Week 16 | Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers (Christmas Day)
Week 16 | Buffalo Bills vs. Denver Broncos (Christmas Day)
Week 18 | matchup TBD
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