This week, the NFL has put the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens through a travel arrangement that no other franchise has ever faced. Both clubs have become the subjects of an experiment, with neither team having any prior experience with the demands placed upon them.
No NFL team has ever traveled at least 5,000 miles for a game without earning a bye the next week, and the Cowboys are about to become the first. The trip from Dallas to Rio de Janeiro runs roughly 5,220 miles, which means the Cowboys will travel nearly 10,500 miles round trip. The Ravens will travel 4,781 miles on their flight from Baltimore to Rio. Both teams play in Week 4, with neither getting a break between games.
What the NFL Has Done Before
Last season, the Rams traveled 5,456 miles across the Atlantic for a Week 7 matchup with the Jaguars and received a bye in Week 8. For their Week 1 game in Melbourne, Australia, both the Rams and the 49ers had to cover more than 7,800 miles. They were given 10 days off before their next game, while the Rams actually had 11 days between matches because they didn’t play until Monday night in Week 2.
Brazil has played host to two NFL contests before, though both took place during Week 1, which meant the squads involved had an additional week off ahead of Week 2. This time around, the arrangement will be different.
How the Travel Stacks Up
| Team | Distance to Rio | Bye in Next Week |
|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | ~5,220 miles | None |
| Ravens | ~4,781 miles | None |
The game kicks off at 5:25 p.m. local time (Rio is one hour ahead of Eastern Time). Both teams likely won’t be on a flight back to the United States until after midnight. The Cowboys might not be back in Dallas until nearly noon on Monday.
The Jet Lag History
Last year, the Broncos flew 4,670 miles to London in Week 6 to face the Jets before flying home to face the Giants in Week 7. The Broncos won both games, but they went 0-2 against the spread. The 2021 Dolphins also traveled at least 4,400 miles for a game without a bye, losing to the Jaguars and then falling to the Falcons.
In both cases, the teams trailed badly late in the game. With 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Dolphins trailed 27-14 while the Broncos trailed 26-8. Combined, they got outscored 53-22 for the first 49 minutes.
What the Players Are Saying
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer is happy with the travel plan.
“We’re going to fly through the night,” Schottenheimer said, via PFT. “We’ve thought of everything. Our team, the compression pants and shirts you wear. It’s going to be a dark plane. We’ll feed them a little bit, but we need them to rest. And then when we get there, we’re going to get them moving pretty quick and get out to a meeting, and then a practice, and try to get them acclimated as best we can.”
Kyle Hamilton, a Ravens player, echoed the confidence.
“I think the staff — credit to everybody involved — has a great plan in place for us when we get down there, and [we are] going to try to take advantage of the travel in a way that it is not hindering us coming into Sunday,” Hamilton said this week, via the team’s official website.
He added that neither team has an advantage from the travel.
“Both sides are dealing with it, so there are really no excuses to be made, but I think we have a good plan in place and good organization when we get down there,” Hamilton said.
The Week 4 Test
This week’s games could show how much the travel weighed on the players. The Cowboys meet the Texans, while the Ravens welcome the Titans.
Source material: “Cowboys facing unprecedented NFL travel scenario for Week 3 game vs. Ravens in Brazil,” CBS Sports.
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