The Dallas Cowboys are about to make NFL history, and honestly, it sounds absolutely brutal. They’re flying a staggering 5,220 miles to Rio de Janeiro this week for their game against the Baltimore Ravens, and here’s the kicker: they will *not* be getting a bye week afterward. This is a first for the league, and man, it’s raising some serious questions about player recovery and performance.
Uncharted Territory for the NFL’s Guinea Pigs
Think about it: the Cowboys are looking at a nearly 10,500-mile round trip, and Baltimore’s not far behind, clocking in at 4,781 miles each way from their home city. For years, any NFL team that’s had to deal with this kind of crazy travel, like the Rams flying 5,456 miles to London last season or even the Rams and 49ers going 7,800 miles to Australia, has always been given an extended break or a bye week. That’s just standard procedure, right? It lets guys recover from the insane time zone changes and flight fatigue. Even the two previous NFL games held in Brazil were both in Week 1, giving those teams extra rest before Week 2. But not this time for the Cowboys and Ravens. The NFL has basically turned these two squads into guinea pigs, throwing them into an unprecedented travel scenario without the customary recovery time.
The Brutal Back-to-Back and the Broncos Blueprint
So, what does this mean for these teams? Well, after kicking off in Rio at 5:25 p.m. local time, both teams likely won’t even get on a flight back to the States until after midnight. That Dallas flight from Rio is over ten hours, so the Cowboys might not even touch down back home until Monday noon. Then, just days later, the Cowboys hit the road again to face the Texans, while the Ravens host the Titans. Talk about a brutal back-to-back.
We’ve seen some hints of how this plays out before. Last season, the Broncos made a 4,670-mile trip to London in Week 6 without a bye, then faced the Jets before flying home to play the Giants in Week 7. What happened? Their offense had its worst game of the season against the Jets, winning a tight 13-11. Then, against the Giants, they looked jet-lagged for most of the game, falling behind 26-8 before rallying to a 33-32 win. They won both, sure, but they went 0-2 against the spread, showing how much that travel took out of them. It’s clear that this kind of grind can take a huge toll.
Looking Ahead to Week 4
It’s going to be wild to see how Dallas and Baltimore manage this challenge. Heading into Week 4, both teams have to turn around quickly after what will be the most grueling travel any NFL team has ever faced without a bye. Will we see similar struggles to the Broncos, where mental mistakes and fatigue just stack up? Everyone will be watching to see if these teams can overcome this unprecedented hurdle, or if the NFL’s “guinea pig” experiment ends up costing them big.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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