When the Los Angeles Rams step onto the gridiron at Wembley Stadium this Sunday, there will likely be numerous teams throughout the National Football League observing their performance. The reason behind this heightened interest stems from the Rams’ unique travel arrangement for London this week, a strategy previously untried by any other team.
The Rams are delaying their arrival in England until the eleventh hour: The team is scheduled to land in London on Saturday morning, merely a day before their contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars. During a press briefing held on Friday, Rams head coach Sean McVay detailed the team’s itinerary for the subsequent 24 hours.
“We will be traveling to London tonight and will arrive there [Saturday] morning, conduct a walk-through, and then allow the players to unwind and recuperate,” McVay stated. “Subsequently, we’ll be prepared for the 2:30 p.m. kickoff [London time]. The team is enthusiastic about this business excursion, and I believe it has fostered a sense of camaraderie throughout the week. The focus has been on the week’s preparations, and the players have executed admirably.”
Since 2007, the NFL has been organizing games in London, and during the ensuing 18 years, teams have been exploring optimal strategies for navigating the lengthy transatlantic journey, with this particular travel approach remaining unexplored until now.
In recent years, the prevailing approach among most teams has involved departing from the United States on Thursday night and arriving on Friday morning. This was the strategy employed by McVay and the Rams during their previous London appearance in 2019. Conversely, certain teams opt to travel to England in advance to acclimatize to London time, which is five hours ahead of eastern time.
The Jaguars are adopting this strategy this week: The team departed Jacksonville on Monday night and reached London on Tuesday morning. Jaguars head coach Liam Coen previously served on McVay’s coaching staff in L.A. during the Rams’ 2019 London trip, and while he recognizes the potential advantages of arriving on Friday, he favors his team’s plan for this week.
Coen remains uncertain about the existence of a definitive advantage in arriving earlier, but he values the enhanced team spirit that arises from spending additional time together.
“Is it truly advantageous? I’m unsure, as sports science offers support for both perspectives,” Coen remarked this week, as quoted by the Associated Press. “I simply believed it presented a valuable opportunity for our players to arrive here, strengthen their bonds, and foster greater cohesion.”
During the Steelers’ game in Ireland in Week 4, Aaron Rodgers expressed a desire to travel there on Monday, but the team’s arrival in Dublin was delayed until Friday.
On the Rams’ side, they opted against an early arrival in London, but they also refrained from spending the entire week in Los Angeles. Following their 17-3 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6, the Rams elected to spend the week in Maryland. They arrived in Baltimore on October 11 and will remain there until their departure for London on Friday night.
Throughout their week-long stay in Baltimore, the Rams have been utilizing Camden Yards as their practice facility, marking the stadium’s inaugural use for football, according to MLB.com.
The NFL is known for its tendency to emulate successful strategies, and should the Rams prevail over the Jaguars, it is conceivable that other teams may adopt the Saturday travel plan in the future. However, a Rams defeat would likely dissuade other teams from replicating their unconventional travel arrangement.
The 4-2 Rams will be without Puka Nacua this Sunday, but they are still favored by 1.5 points against a resilient Jaguars team aiming for their fifth victory.
