Matt Eberflus breaks down the plan as the Bears get set to travel to London to take on the Jaguars in Week 6
Coming off two big home victories, the Chicago Bears are getting preparations ready for another "home" game on Sunday, but it won't be at Soldier Field.The Bears will "host" the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 6 in London, England at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.The Bears vs. Jaguars matchup will be the NFL's third international game of […]
Coming off two big home victories, the Chicago Bears are getting preparations ready for another "home" game on Sunday, but it won't be at Soldier Field.
The Bears will "host" the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 6 in London, England at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Bears vs. Jaguars matchup will be the NFL's third international game of the season and second consecutive week with two teams facing off in London.
Chicago will be playing overseas for the first time since 2019 and this time around the team is taking a smart approach. The Bears plan to travel to London on Monday afternoon and will land on Tuesday to begin preparations for the week.
While talking to the media after Sunday's game, head coach Matt Eberflus laid out what the week will look like to help the players adapt to the jet lag that's affected teams traveling overseas in the past.
"It's a big science part of it. I went to Italy this summer and I'll tell you, it takes you a couple days to get there, so I'm all in for that," Eberflus explained. "We'll go there Monday, get there Tuesday morning and the players have their day off. Then they'll bring them back in on Wednesday and we'll have a walk through practice to get their bodies ready to go. And then from there, will be normal business operation there. Thursday will be our normal first, second, third. Friday will be our red zone day. Saturday will be the walkthrough, and then Sunday, we'll play the game."
Getting to London early in the week seems to be the best case scenario for everyone involved and something other teams will surely implement going forward. Just because the Bears are being proactive doesn't mean they won't run into any challenges adjusting to the time change.
"I know the team and everybody's going to show us and teach us ways to be able to adjust to that real quickly," quarterback Caleb Williams said. "Obviously sleep and recovery is super important, and for everything mental, all of that, to be able to recall these plays that we have, and be able to go out there and win. So I think that's the biggest challenge is to sleep and things like that. We have to do a good job with that."
Playing in a different country is always an exciting experience for every player and coach making the trip. It's set to be a fun week with the Bears looking to improve to 4-1 on the season heading into the Week 7 bye week.
