LA Rams to battle San Francisco 49ers in Week 1

SAN FRANCISCO (KABC) -- For the first time in 21 years, the Los Angeles Rams will take the field to battle the San Francisco 49ers on Monday.

Watch the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers play on Monday Night Football on ABC7 at 7 p.m.

The Rams kick off the season against their division rival in San Francisco on Monday Night Football.

The game will be surrounded by controversy, as 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has refused to stand for the national anthem during preseason games, and stated he would continue to not stand until he sees change when it comes to racial oppression in the U.S.

MORE: Colin Kaepernick says he'll continue to sit

"When there's significant change and I feel like that flag represents what it's supposed to represent, this country is representing people the way that it's supposed to, I'll stand," Kaepernick said.

Several other teams and players across the NFL have joined Kaepernick in his protest during the preseason and Week 1.

MORE: Seahawks planning 'demonstration of unity'

On the field, the Rams and 49ers look to kick off their division play with a victory.

With the NFC West arguably one of the toughest divisions in the NFL, the Rams and 49ers would benefit from division wins against one another since victories will be harder to come by from the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals.

MORE: Show your Rams spirit using #abc7rams

Despite the team moving more than 1,800 miles during the offseason, the Rams coaching staff said the team will be ready to play the 49ers come Monday night.

"It's the most resilient group of guys I've ever been around," Rams offensive coordinator Rob Boras said. "In an era when everyone's complaining, or always looking over, these guys have just handled it. And everything is not perfect, nothing in this world is, and they've just accepted everything and they've moved on."