Do Patriots have edge over Lions in travel itinerary to Munich?

Mike Vrabel and the Patriots elected to travel overseas on Wednesday night rather than wait.

MUNICH, GERMANY – NOVEMBER 13: Head Coach Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots watches his players during a training session at Saebener Strasse training ground on November 13, 2026 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images)

Part of the planning and preparation for Sunday’s Patriots-Lions game included an extra wrinkle: international travel plans.

That’s been a hot-button topic for a number of years since the NFL started expanding its international slate of games, and it was particularly prevalent in the first week of the season, when the 49ers completely outclassed the Rams. San Francisco had traveled to Australia well ahead of its season opener, while Los Angeles didn’t arrive until the day before the game.

The Melbourne example is the most extreme travel circumstance, but there is still plenty of discussion in general about when the best day is to travel for international games.

In the case of the Patriots, Vrabel’s crew elected to travel overnight Wednesday and arrive in Munich on Thursday. Dan Campbell and company, meanwhile, arrived Friday for the Sunday tilt.

Will the extra day give New England an edge?

Well, the metrics don’t necessarily reflect an advantage either way. There’s merit to the early arrival to get acclimated to the time zone change, and just as much of a case to try and plow through the jet lag altogether in favor of a more normal weekly routine.

Vrabel was asked about the strategy behind choosing your travel day before the team departed the U.S.

“I mean, I think that’s part of the game. I think that’s part of the week. No different than the challenges you may have in traveling here or games,” Vrabel said. “We’ve chosen to handle them by going over tonight. And whoever plays better and does the things that we talk about that ultimately lead to victories will be the team that ends up winning the game. So, every week has its own set of circumstances. This one, it just means we’re traveling to Germany.”

Different experts say different things when it comes to travel, and that was the case with two different doctors who studied the 49ers-Rams Australia matchup leading up to it. But ultimately, the game plan and execution on the field will decide who wins an international game far more than the date of arrival.

And particularly as New England didn’t arrive a week earlier than the Lions, the difference between their players’ bodies should be minimal.

Patriots-Lions is set for 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time (3:30 p.m. local time) from Munich, Germany Sunday.