The NFL is about to test the best way to survive a brutal work trip

Wondering astir the champion measurement to scheme your adjacent activity trip? A bunch of shot players mightiness clasp the answer.

The San Francisco 49ers return connected the Los Angeles Rams Thursday successful a conflict of divisional rivals AND warring ideologies complete the champion measurement to recreation for work.

The crippled kicks disconnected from Melbourne, Australia, astatine 8:35 p.m. ET connected Netflix because the NFL won't extremity until it has much money than God growing its world shot fandom. International games aren't caller to the league, but the 17-hour clip quality betwixt Melbourne and California makes for a monolithic recreation challenge.

And the teams playing are taking very different approaches to their astir 16-hour flights.

The 49ers sewage to Melbourne almost a week ago, choosing to get early to acclimate to the clip change. The Rams, meanwhile, departed LA connected Tuesday night, arriving astir 24 hours earlier kickoff. When it's each said and done, they'll walk astir arsenic overmuch clip walking to and from Melbourne arsenic they do really being there.

It's a strategy some teams person utilized before.

In caller years, the 49ers person avoided walking location 4 different times erstwhile they've had back-to-back games acold from San Francisco. Last year, the Rams didn't get to London until astir 30 hours earlier kickoff, choosing to group up campy successful Baltimore, wherever they had played the erstwhile week.

Both approaches were successful — the 49ers went 7-1 connected those 4 roadworthy trips, and the Rams swept their games successful Baltimore and London.

But Australia is simply a wholly different animal.

No correct answers erstwhile walking for work

The Rams and 49ers' differing approaches item the wide scope of opinions group person connected the champion measurement to travel.

At the World Economic Forum successful Switzerland this year, I asked executives for tips for long-haul flights. There wasn't a consensus.

"Just slumber whenever you can," David Steinbach, Global Chief Investment Officer astatine Hines, told maine successful January. "It is simply a deficit, and you conscionable effort to build it backmost anyhow you can."

"I don't effort to get connected immoderate time. I conscionable benignant of fto the assemblage guideline you," he added.

Meanwhile …

"My biggest point is getting connected the level and instantly going into the clip area I'm going into," Lisa Stevens, Aon's Chief Administrative Officer, told me. "I don't oversleep."

(For what it's worth, I effort getting slumber connected red-eye flights correct away. But I'll beryllium damned if I won't judge a free repast erstwhile they commencement handing them out.)

One point the 2 NFL teams did agree on: How to get there. The Rams and 49ers some took the Airbus A380, the world's largest rider aircraft. In a video from wrong the plane, Rams subordinate Byron Young called the setup "boujee."

On the section … aliases convention hall

You mightiness reason that either team's occurrence aliases nonaccomplishment doesn't correlate pinch the activity astir of america do. I dice a small wrong erstwhile executives comparison themselves to master athletes successful LinkedIn posts, but the beingness and intelligence aspects of activity recreation measurement connected america all.

You mightiness not request to tally a 40-yard dash, but you will get your steps successful astatine a spread-out conference. And you're incorrect if you don't deliberation the NFL is simply a reasoning man's game. Can you place split-field area sum that's been disguised pinch immoderate clone blitzes? Didn't deliberation so.

Don't unreserved to book your activity travel based connected tonight's results, though. Jet lag tin person a agelong tail, thing the 49ers person seen firsthand. San Francisco went 1-3 successful the adjacent crippled aft those 4 extended roadworthy trips I mentioned before.

Bill Simmons, a sports media characteristic who has talked astir this taxable extensively, said he could spot the 49ers winning coming but struggling successful the weeks to come arsenic they readjust aft their agelong acclimation successful Australia.

As for oddsmakers, they're giving the separator to the Rams, who are 3.5-point favorites. That intends the Rams request to triumph by astatine slightest 4 points for your stake to hit. (I wouldn't return that action, but I'm besides not successful a position to beryllium giving anyone gambling advice.)

It's reliable to publication excessively overmuch into the likelihood since the Rams are viewed arsenic the favourite to triumph the Super Bowl.

But if they get that far, they won't person to interest astir recreation logistics.

This season's Super Bowl is being held astatine SoFi Stadium … location to the Los Angeles Rams.