The Philadelphia Eagles are flying to London on Friday, arriving just hours before kickoff. Head coach Nick Sirianni announced on Monday that his team will practice at home all week and leave on Friday, calling it “the best thing for our team, taking everything into account — jet lag, included.”
The trip is roughly a seven-hour flight across the Atlantic, with London five hours ahead of Philadelphia. The Eagles land on Friday night, have all day Saturday to adjust, and play at 2:30 p.m. local time on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. That is not a lot of time to get used to a new time zone.
The Rams in Australia
Travel plans have been questioned since the Los Angeles Rams flew to Australia at the last possible second for their season opener against the San Francisco 49ers. The Rams spent roughly 30 hours in the country between their two flights, a trip the team had been working on for more than a year.
The 49ers arrived several days in advance and won easily, 27-7. The Eagles’ decision to arrive late follows a similar pattern, though the distance and time zone are far smaller.
A Familiar Record
The Eagles enter Sunday’s game with a 2-2 record after back-to-back losses. They blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead to the Rams on Sunday, and are likely to be without both running backs Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby.
Beating the Jaguars, who have won two straight, will not be easy regardless of location. The Jaguars are also playing back-to-back games in London over the next two weeks.
What Sirianni Said
Sirianni’s reasoning was direct. He told The Athletic that the late departure felt like the best option for his team, balancing jet lag against other considerations.
The plan is simple: practice at home, leave on Friday, play on Sunday. The team arrives just hours before kickoff, which means the adjustment window is measured in hours, not days.
The Time Zone Problem
London is five hours ahead of Philadelphia. A Friday night arrival means the team lands late in the evening local time, with all day Saturday to get used to the schedule.
That is a shorter adjustment than the Rams faced in Australia, where the team spent 30 hours in transit. But it still leaves the Eagles with a compressed timeline before kickoff.
What Comes Next
If things go poorly, it is easy to wonder how long coaches will keep pushing the “in and out” travel strategy for international games. The Rams’ experience in Australia raised questions about whether teams should arrive early or late.
The Eagles are now testing the other extreme. Instead of arriving early, they are arriving late. The result will tell the story.
The Bottom Line
The Eagles are flying to London on Friday, leaving barely a day to adjust to a five-hour time zone shift. The team has a 2-2 record, a pair of injured running backs, and a Jaguars team that has won two straight.
Sirianni believes the late departure is the best option. Whether that proves true will be clear after Sunday’s game.
“Felt like the best thing for our team, taking everything into account — jet lag, included.” — Nick Sirianni
The Eagles have made their choice. Now they wait to see if it pays off.
Source material: “Eagles flying to London for game vs. Jaguars on Friday, leaving little time to adjust after Rams' issues in Australia,” Yahoo Sports.
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