The Philadelphia Eagles are making a move that’s got everyone talking, planning to jet off to London on Friday for their Sunday game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It’s a tight turnaround, and frankly, it feels a lot like they’re playing with fire after what went down earlier this season with the Los Angeles Rams.
Cutting It Close: A High-Stakes Travel Gamble
Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni told reporters on Monday that the team will keep their full week of practice in Philadelphia before making the transatlantic flight on Friday. Sirianni insists they’ve done their homework, saying the Eagles “felt like this is the best thing for our team, taking everything into account,jet lag included.” But when you remember what happened to the Rams, this feels like a serious gamble. The Rams decided to head to Australia before their Week 1 game, and it blew up in their faces with a brutal 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers, on the other hand, had arrived well in advance and played like the better team the whole way through. Rams coach Sean McVay even joked about his own gaffe a couple of weeks later, quipping, “Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn and sometimes you have a dumbass coach that makes travel plans that puts you in bad spots.” While London is definitely a shorter flight than Australia, fans are going to be making those comparisons all day long. Zach Berman from The Athletic has even highlighted past Eagles travel plans and the differences, so you know people are watching.
Momentum Swings and Barkley’s Status
This isn’t just about travel, either, because the Eagles desperately need a win. They’re coming into this London matchup having lost their last two games, falling to the Chicago Bears and then the Rams. To make matters worse, star running back Saquon Barkley picked up a hamstring injury in that loss to Los Angeles. Sirianni promised an update on Barkley by Wednesday, which everyone will be glued to. Meanwhile, their opponents, the Jacksonville Jaguars, are riding high. They just snagged a Week 4 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, pushing their record to a strong 3-1, so they’re bringing a whole lot more momentum to Sunday’s game.
So, it’s the Eagles flying late, battling potential jet lag, needing a win, and waiting on a critical injury update, all while facing a hot Jaguars team. Sunday’s game is going to be a wild one.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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