NFL 2025 Travel Totals: Some Teams Are Racking Up Miles, Others Stay Comfortable At Home
The NFL has officially released the travel breakdown for the 2025 season, and let’s just say some teams will get to know airport terminals well. Others? They can probably drive to most of their games if they want to. The difference in travel distance this year is huge. While it might not seem like the biggest deal now, anyone who has ever taken a red-eye flight and tried to do anything productive the next day knows how much it can mess you up. For players who already get hit for a living, every mile counts.
The Chargers Might As Well Get Frequent Flyer Cards
The Los Angeles Chargers will be doing laps around the globe this year. They are starting the season with a game in Brazil, and it only gets more hectic from there. Week after week, they will be bouncing between cities, crossing time zones, and spending more time on the road than some touring bands. It is the kind of schedule that can wear down even the best-prepared team.
Right behind them are the Rams, Seahawks, 49ers, and Jaguars. West Coast teams usually travel more than the rest, but 2025 seems particularly rough. The Jaguars, for example, are heading back to London again, which they have done plenty of times before, but the flights do not get any shorter.
You can train all you want, hydrate, eat right, and stretch for hours, but travel fatigue still hits hard. Teams that are constantly changing time zones often have trouble getting into a rhythm. Practice routines get thrown off. Recovery days get shortened, and even sleep becomes a challenge when your body has no idea what time it is. That is not just theory. Players have talked about it for years.
The Bengals Are Basically Playing In Their Backyard
Not every team drew the short straw. The Cincinnati Bengals will be traveling less than any other team in the NFL this season. Most of their opponents are a short flight away, and none of their games are international. It is a schedule that lets them stay close to home, which is a big win for keeping players fresh and focused.
The Ravens are in pretty good shape, too. They do have one international game in Dublin, but outside of that, they are staying mostly in the region. The same goes for the Bills, Browns, and Steelers. Even though the Steelers are also going overseas once, the rest of their season is compact enough that their total mileage is still low compared to most teams.
This is one of those things that does not show up in stat sheets or fantasy projections, but it has real effects. Less travel means more time to practice, more time to recover, and more time sleeping in your bed. Coaches love it. Players love it. It might not guarantee success, but it gives teams fewer obstacles to deal with.
Travel Could Quietly Shape the 2025 Season
There is a bunch that goes into winning in the NFL. Talent, coaching, and health, everyone talks about those. Travel? Not so much. But it matters. It matters much more than most people think.
The Chargers, Rams, and Seahawks are in for a brutal travel year. They will be fighting through long flights, jet lag, and all the complications that come with constantly being on the move. On the other hand, teams like the Bengals and Ravens get to stay grounded, both literally and figuratively. By the time December rolls around, the teams with fewer miles on their legs might be the ones with more left in the tank.
