West Coast teams have it tough.
Every year, they have to travel more miles through the air than their Midwest and East Coast counterparts. This year, the 49ers will travel 28,363 miles — fifth most in the NFL according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The teams who have the most miles to travel are the Chargers, the Rams, the Seahawks and the Jaguars. The teams with the fewest miles to travel are the Bengals, the Bills, the Ravens, the Lions and the Bears.
The Bengals in particular will travel just 8,753 miles all season, which is less than a third of the distance that the 49ers will have to travel. And that seems a bit unfair. Then again, the Bengals have to live in Cincinnati, and that seems a bit unfair in and of itself, so life balances itself out.
It will be interesting to see how much rest the 49ers get between the mammoth road trips. Each of the last two years, the 49ers ranked among the league’s worst in rest differential, which means they got less rest than other teams around the league. As a result, they lost 7 of their final 8 games last season. They completely folded. Perhaps a more favorable travel schedule will keep them fresher for the second half of the season.
As long as the 49ers have to make these long road trips every year, they should consider making their team as young as possible. Because older players will struggle with all the flying.
Good thing the 49ers started a youth movement this offseason.
