NFL teams are used to long journeys by plane, including different time zones. But a trip like this to and a game in Europe is something else, which is why trips across the Atlantic need to be well planned.
There were role models for the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots, which meet on Sunday in Frankfurt (3.30 p.m./RTL and Dazn), there are quite a few this year: It is already the fifth NFL game in Europe and the second in Germany. Both are based on a winner of such a game: the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs had only arrived for their game last Sunday on the Friday before, or left on Thursday evening local time in the USA. Their opponent, the Miami Dolphins, spent almost the entire week in Frankfurt. Jet lag didn’t seem to be a problem for the Chiefs, as they won 21-14.
The Colts and Patriots have now planned their journeys in exactly the same way. Both will set off on Thursday and will arrive in Frankfurt on Friday morning German time. There will be training there on Fridays, and on the Saturday before the game the teams will, as usual, complete a so-called “walkthrough”, in which they go through the planned moves again – literally.
It is difficult to say to what extent this trip suits the Patriots in particular. With only two wins and seven defeats, the current season is very disappointing, most recently there was a 17:20 against the Washington Commanders. Matthew Slater, one of the team captains, sees it positively: “It’s a great opportunity for many of us. Nobody should feel sorry for us. We are lucky that we get to play this game. We are lucky to get the opportunity to go there. We should enjoy it – and we should go out there and play to win.”
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