The Los Angeles Rams are about to pull off one of the craziest travel stunts we’ve seen, planning to land in Melbourne, Australia, just one single day before their season opener. This isn’t your usual pre-game trip. While the San Francisco 49ers are giving themselves nine full days to acclimate, Sean McVay and the Rams are rolling in like a “SEAL Team 6,” as he put it, aiming to be “in and out before you know what happened.”
McVay’s “In and Out” Strategy: Betting on Rhythm Over Rest
McVay’s plan for this massive trip to Australia mirrors his past London game strategy, where the team was a quick strike force. The goal? Keep his guys in their “rhythm and routine as close as possible,” even with a whopping 17-hour time difference messing with everyone’s internal clocks. You can see the logic: fly in, play the game, fly out, and avoid a prolonged disruption to their body’s natural 24-hour cycle.
Their proposed itinerary is aggressive, to say the least. Leaving Wednesday morning PST, arriving Thursday night, sleeping, and then it’s game time Thursday evening Australian time. It means their typical gameday routine will get some modifications, but the core idea is for players to maintain their normal sleep patterns on the flight home, theoretically avoiding a major circadian rhythm upset. Plus, there’s a bonus for this approach: the Rams snag an extra 28 hours compared to the Niners for prep time before their game against the Giants. The only immediate hurdles? Finding quiet rooms with blackout curtains for sleep, and keeping Matthew Stafford’s back healthy through two 16-hour flights. That’s a big “if” for any QB, let alone one traveling across the globe.
Shanahan’s Nine-Day Acclimation: The Long Game vs. Jet Lag
Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers are taking the polar opposite route. He’s heard the experts, and they say you don’t feel normal for “like the third or fourth day” after a 16-hour flight and a huge time change. That’s why they’re getting to Melbourne a full nine days before kickoff. Shanahan wants his players to have ample time to get used to the new schedule, believing that showing up the day before would leave them completely “messed up.” It’s about combating poor sleep quality and daytime fatigue head-on.
But here’s the kicker for the Niners’ long-game strategy: what happens when they come back? They’ll have to go through the exact same acclimation period all over again when they return stateside. Will they be fully recovered for their Sunday afternoon game just 10 days later? That’s a huge question mark.
This clash of travel philosophies sets up an incredible mental battle even before the physical one starts. Which team’s strategy will pay off in Australia, and more importantly, who will be more ready for the grind of the regular season when they get back home? We’re about to find out, and the stakes could not be higher for their early-season form.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply