Remember when the Los Angeles Rams thought arriving in Melbourne, Australia one day before their international matchup versus the San Francisco 49ers would work out OK? Well, spoiler alert, it didn't. The 49ers dominated their NFC West rivals and won 27–7, and part of their performance could be based on the fact the 49ers had a whole week to acclimate to the new time zone.
Well, apparently the Philadelphia Eagles didn't learn from the Rams' mistake ahead of their showdown in London, England this upcoming weekend against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni told reporters this week that his team plans to fly out to London on Friday, meaning the team will only have about a day to acclimate to the time change and prepare to play internationally. At the end of the day, I have to make the decision and this is the one that I chose to help this team get ready for this game this week.” Sirianni noted that the Eagles took everything into account, including jet-lag, when making the decision.
The Rams' decision seemingly didn't impact Philadelphia's plan. He said the team wanted to complete a full week of practice in Philadelphia before leaving. Understandably, the Eagles and Sirianni were torn apart on social media based solely on how poorly the Rams' similar plan worked.
If the Eagles struggle tremendously on Sunday against the Jaguars, then hopefully they'll make an example for the rest of the league to stop electing to arrive internationally the day before a game. That can't be good for the players and their health. Let's see if Sirianni will eat his words or not.
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