Breaking Down Rams, 49ers' Alternate Travel Approaches for NFL Week 1 Game in Australia

The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers took two very distinct approaches to their long trip to Australia for their Week 1 opener.

The Niners were in Melbourne for nearly a week before the Rams touched down prior to Thursday's game.

San Francisco's players and staffers should have shaken off any jet lag well before the game kicks off. In the case of Los Angeles, the team might not be in Melbourne long enough for jet lag to be a factor.

The Rams tried to treat this like business as usual in terms of playing away from home.

"What gives me confidence is I'm not going to really make it a big deal," head coach Sean McVay told reporters . "It's, 'Hey, this is what the reality is. We've got a long way to go, but let's be ready to rock when that three-hour window that we're allotted comes.' That's what it is. To spend a bunch of time talking about it — I get it with you guys, too, like I understand your questions but for me, I've told you guys what our approach is. Our expectation is our guys will be ready to go and I'm not worried about it because I know what our plans are."

Anybody who has traveled abroad will testify to how difficult it can be to adjust after spending hours on a plane, which is compounded by the time change. Heading to Australia means crossing the international date line, in effect losing an entire day.

The accommodations for the Rams are obviously far better than what the typical traveler experiences, and that will have made it easier to get any needed sleep.

Still, their strategy for flying to Australia is going to be more of a storyline if Los Angeles comes out flat in Week 1.