The NFL has slowly pushed international games onto every team. Every team has participated in a game in London, and the Jacksonville Jaguars have even played multiple regular-season games there. It all started in 2007, and the game has grown into the NFL, with games in Munich, São Paulo and Mexico City in 2026.

It’s helped grow the game globally, and that’s exactly what NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wanted. The global surge in games has made travel logistics challenging for NFL organizations. Teams have copied others, and some have just outright done their own thing. It’s all a game each team is trying to perfect, but it’s led to a lot of trial and error we can look back on.

Suppose teams don’t prioritize proper travel and the ability for bodies to adjust to different time zones. Players can be sluggish and unable to perform at their best on game day, which is the last thing NFL teams want. Teams like the Jaguars have had multiple years to figure it out, but have changed their approach over time.

How do teams handle international travel to London?

The International Series started in 2007. Teams didn’t have years of data to look back on and to help prepare for travel. That led to different strategies that were used to see today. Teams used to leave later in the week, on Friday night or Saturday morning. Essentially, treating it like a normal road game leads to minimal acclimation to the time zone.

A good example was the Baltimore Ravens in 2017, who lost to the Jaguars, 44-7. They flew out later in the week, and it resulted in one of the worst losses in the John Harbaugh era. In 2023, the team changed its strategy and flew out earlier in the week. The team had a six-night stay leading into a game against the Tennessee Titans and won, 24-16.

Not every team has embraced flying earlier, despite it proving to be beneficial. The Buffalo Bills arrived in London on a Friday morning for a matchup against the Jaguars, who had been there for 10 days. The Bills lost 25-20 and looked jet-lagged throughout the game.

“I did feel like our guys were ready to go,” Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said following the game. “The 10 days over here were good for us.”

The answer isn’t exact for how teams handle the travel. It’s proven beneficial to leave earlier, and over the years, more teams have followed suit. Until the Los Angeles Rams proved the NFL wrong after they flew out for London on Saturday morning before their matchup against the Jaguars. The team barely arrived 24 hours before kickoff, but on the field, it didn’t seem to matter. The Rams beat the Jaguars 35-7, proving it doesn’t necessarily matter when teams leave.

The fun part with these questions is that there’s no right answer. Teams have started to lean into leaving earlier for London games, but the Rams proved you can win despite leaving later.

Modern-day evolution

There’s no “right way” to handle traveling internationally. Every team will have a different method, no matter what. How has modern-day technology impacted travel?

Sleep 

Earlier arrival times have become more popular among NFL teams because they give players more time to adjust. It takes one day for every 1-hour time zone difference for the body to adapt. So, traveling from Los Angeles to New York takes three days for your body to adapt to the East Coast time zone fully. Now, traveling internationally is a different story, and with NFL teams having more advanced recovery procedures, the advocacy for leaving earlier in the week is the biggest change.

Another big realization is the importance of sleep. NFL teams understand that sleep quality impacts reaction time, recovery and injury risk. Teams have begun shifting players’ schedule days before the flight. Earlier bedtimes and meal-time changes help players get used to when they’d be eating and sleeping internationally. The goal is to adapt the body before setting foot internationally.

Nutrition 

With the longer flights, players can easily become dehydrated, leading to tight muscles upon landing. NFL players are more vulnerable to this due to their larger size and the physical demands of the game. Modern recovery, such as massage therapy, recovery equipment, and, most importantly, customized meal plans, allows NFL teams to tackle this head-on.

The Denver Broncos prioritized this in their trip to the London game in 2022. The team didn’t have a say in their stay, but had a major say in how the hotel prepares the food the players consumed throughout the week. Throughout training camp, the team flew members of the hotel’s kitchen staff to Denver and had them spend 10 days mirroring their counterparts with the Broncos in the United States. Then, when Denver flew out to London, the team flew out members of the kitchen staff to make sure the menu was right, and players would have the right meals throughout the week.

The Broncos made sure the same ingredients and condiments were used. Denver sent 22 pallets to London, ensuring it’d all be the same for the players.

Outlook

NFL teams have to evolve with the times and understand how to travel internationally. The excuse of “jet lag” won’t work when teams come out flat on international trips. Every organization has played internationally, and it’ll only happen more often. Teams have evolved with the times, though some remain outliers. The majority have understood the importance of leaving earlier in the week, as well as the importance of sleep and nutrition.

The push for international games is no longer an experiment. The challenge for teams is to see who can adapt to the NFL’s schedule the fastest. Some teams have the luxury of knowing years in advance they’re playing overseas. Some have months to prepare. It’ll be interesting to see how the Rams and San Francisco 49ers tackle the travel to Australia, but no matter the result, it won’t be the last time the NFL visits.