At the start of the season, there was a lot of talk about the team traveling for international games as the Rams played the 49ers in Australia.
The two teams used different strategies, with San Francisco appearing to choose the right one.
Although there is more data about the NFL team’s trip to London, there are still different ways to go about it. With the Eagles playing the Jaguars in London on Sunday, head coach Nick Sirianni detailed his club’s plan for the week in his press conference on Monday.
“We felt that leaving on Friday was best for our team,” Sirianni said. “This team and with the schedule that we have, in the coming weeks. So, a lot of research, obviously, went into it. You know, when I discuss these things with you guys about short weeks, long weeks, rainy weeks, hot weeks — whatever it may be — international weeks, how to do it. It’s a little bit different than our last international trip because it was in the first game of the season. [in 2024]. And we try to get a full week of practice in before we go up there.
“But we felt, even with the studies that we did, and through some of the things that we all looked at – all the things that we looked at, we decided on this. And at the end of the day, I had to make those decisions, and this was the decision that I chose – with the help of great people, no doubt, but at the end of the day, I had to make this decision and this is the game that I will choose this week.”
Any worries about jet lag on the weekend trip?
“Yes, again, we’ve been through it all,” Sirianni said. “When we get there, I don’t want to get into too many details there, but like I said, we feel like it’s going to be our team’s best chance to win, all things considered — jet lag included.”
As Sirianni noted, the last time the Eagles played an international game was Week 1 in 2024 when they beat the Packers in Brazil. The franchise also played the Jags in London in 2018, winning that game 24-18.