The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers are touring practically 8,000 miles to play the identical soccer sport. They apparently need nothing to do with making ready for it the identical manner.
San Francisco arrived in Melbourne per week early. Los Angeles waited till virtually the final attainable second. When the NFC West rivals lastly meet Thursday night time, Sean McVay will discover out whether or not his uncommon Week 1 gamble was good or fully pointless.
Rams try to beat jet lag by avoiding it
The 49ers handled the journey to Australia like precisely what it’s: an enormous disruption to an NFL group’s regular routine.
San Francisco consulted sleep specialists, ready gamers for the 17-hour time distinction and arrived early sufficient to spend a number of days adjusting. The 49ers have practiced in Melbourne and progressively shifted towards the native schedule.
The Rams selected virtually the exact opposite strategy.
Los Angeles remained house for many of the week, permitting gamers to follow at their regular facility and sleep in their very own beds. The Rams are anticipated to reach in Melbourne roughly 24 hours earlier than kickoff.
There’s a technique behind what seems like insanity.
The sport begins at 10:35 a.m. Friday in Melbourne. Again in Los Angeles, that corresponds to five:35 p.m. Thursday.
As a substitute of spending per week forcing gamers’ our bodies onto Australian time, the Rams are trying to maintain their inner clocks a lot nearer to Pacific Time.
Primarily, McVay is not making an attempt to overcome jet lag. He is making an attempt to get the sport performed earlier than it catches up along with his group.
49ers need no a part of Sean McVay’s experiment
Kyle Shanahan might have taken the same strategy. He did not.
The 49ers went all-in on acclimation, even making the journey early sufficient to offer gamers a number of days to recuperate from the roughly 16-hour flight.
That creates one of many strangest variables of Week 1.
San Francisco gamers can have spent per week sleeping, consuming and working towards in Australia after they take the sector. Some Rams players might be enjoying an NFL sport barely a day after stepping off one of many longest flights of their lives.
McVay a minimum of has historical past on his aspect.
The Rams have made shorter worldwide journeys earlier than underneath McVay slightly than spending a complete week abroad. They’re 3-0 in these video games and have outscored their opponents 92-17.
Australia takes the philosophy to a different stage.
London is one factor. Melbourne is sort of 8,000 miles from Los Angeles.
Rams might hand the NFL a brand new worldwide blueprint
The end result will inevitably turn out to be proof for whichever journey philosophy wins.
If the Rams look sluggish early, McVay will face an apparent query. Why put gamers by means of a 16-hour flight instantly earlier than enjoying a division rival when San Francisco gave itself a complete week to organize?
However the reverse might be much more attention-grabbing.
If Los Angeles seems to be contemporary whereas the 49ers acquire no noticeable benefit from their further week in Australia, different NFL groups will discover.
The league is not backing away from worldwide soccer. Its schedule continues increasing throughout the globe, and Australia presents a logistical downside not like a fast journey throughout the Atlantic.
The Rams consider they could have discovered the answer.
Do not modify in any respect.
