The Jacksonville Jaguars will face the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4. They'll need to travel to the West Coast, which could put them at a severe disadvantage. However, head coach Liam Coen is putting together a plan to lessen the impact of the long flight.
The trip to California is five hours long, so the Jags could deal with a bit of a lag. To avoid it from happening, the Jags will try to get their players acclimated.
The Jaguars are trying to adjust to the Weast Coast for the 49ers game
Liam Coen met with the local media and said that the team is trying to get players into an East Coast rhythm, noting that they'll put an emphasis on things such as sleep and hydration.
"Obviously, it's a five-hour flight. We're trying to keep these guys in their East Coast rhythm and routine as much as possible," Coen said. "So we are kind of tailoring the schedule to that so that we won't maybe feel those effects as much. I think if you're going out to play, obviously an organization, a team as competitive as San Fran is, I think I'm very hopeful that these guys will be up for this."
Coen continued, "It's more just about managing the five-hour flight, the hydration, the sleep, and making sure that these guys are getting into the mindset for a business trip that it is so not concerned, but just definitely something we've had to be a little bit aware of with our scheduling and our planning, for sure."
Later in his exchange with the media, Coen said that they'll prepare for the flight Saturday.
"We're just starting a little earlier Saturday. Yeah, so we're just starting Saturday. Yes, we're starting Saturday morning earlier. Get out, get on the flight, get our meetings done when we get there, and then obviously curfew or bed check will be just earlier because it'll basically be midnight or one 1 AM on our time. So, trying to just go as late as we can to not get out of our rhythm and routine as much as possible," Coen said.
Below is Coen's full media availability session. His remarks about traveling start at the 7:11 mark.
The Jaguars must worry about other things aside from the travel schedule
Traveling coast to coast can take a toll on a team, so it's good to see the Jaguars doing what they can to reduce the effects from the trip to the West Coast. That said, that's not the only thing they'll need to worry about.
The San Francisco 49ers are 3-0 despite the fact that they've been dealing with key injuries. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has yet to suit up this season, while tight end George Kittle and pass rusher Nick Bosa are currently on Injury Reserve and won't face Jacksonville.
On the other hand, the Niners could get starting quarterback Brock Purdy back for the game. Similarly, wide receiver Demarcus Robinson is back from a three-game suspension he served to start the season.
Simply put, the 49ers will present a tough test for the Jaguars. Winning would be huge, but it won't be a walk in the park. That's why they'll try to get any edge they can with things such as planning their trip to Santa Clara.