Here's why Chiefs are leaving later in the week for Germany
The Miami Dolphins landed in Frankfurt, Germany ahead of their Week 9 tilt with the Kansas City Chiefs at 6:24 a.m. CT on Tuesday, Oct. 31. The Chiefs, however, won't leave for Germany until Thursday afternoon. “We leave on Thursday," Chiefs HC Andy Reid confirmed during media availability on Monday. "We try to get our work done […]
The Miami Dolphins landed in Frankfurt, Germany ahead of their Week 9 tilt with the Kansas City Chiefs at 6:24 a.m. CT on Tuesday, Oct. 31. The Chiefs, however, won't leave for Germany until Thursday afternoon.
“We leave on Thursday," Chiefs HC Andy Reid confirmed during media availability on Monday. "We try to get our work done here, and then get over there and still get ourselves time to get in line. It’s a bit different that way. But there’s is an excitement to it, too. Going over there and playing and get to play a good football team.”
There is a bit of a preconceived notion that arriving early ahead of an international game allows players to adjust to the timezone changes. It's why many Chiefs fans initially felt the Dolphins' early arrival would give them an advantage in Week 9.
They asked, "Why are the Chiefs leaving so late?"
Ultimately, there is a lot that goes into the decision for each team. Kansas City made theirs based on both experience and scientific evidence.
“Everybody kind of does it a little different," Reid explained. "We did this a couple years ago when we went to London. I’ve done it before with other teams. (Leaving late in the week) worked, so I kind of stuck by it. We will see how it goes. I’m not sure there’s any right or wrong way, teams have done it different ways. I’ve just had success doing it this way. “
Reid has a tendency to be a creature of habit, so it's not surprising to see him sticking with his guns. The team left roughly at the same time for their London game back in 2015, and Alex Smith led the Chiefs to a dominant 45-10 victory over the Detroit Lions. There's also plenty of scientific data that backs up the Chiefs' strategy, ranging from the opinions of professional soccer players to the findings of Olympic coaches and athletes.
Patrick Mahomes' trainer, Bobby Stroupe, even shared some research on the topic on Twitter (X). He also graciously provided a TL;DR (too long; didn't read) on the information that reads:
- 7 days is best. Usually not an option for NFL.
- 3&5 days before present problems for reasons sighted in research.
- Arrival 2 days before comp works great IF players stay on US time with their schedules.
Kansas City is treating this choice meticulously. They're considering every possible detail to put their players in the best position to win. They certainly need to do that after the team's disappointing Week 8 loss to the Broncos and with the No. 1 seed in the AFC potentially on the line in Week 9.
“(It's a) longer plane ride, so you got to make sure you handle that part right,” Reid said. “It’s a different timezone by a few hours. (You've) got to make sure you handle that part and get some rest on the plane. We take everything into consideration from hydration on, and then how we practice when we get there.”
Only time will tell if this strategy pays off, but it's clear that the Chiefs' brass have done their homework here.
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