We all know the myth of the home field advantage, and to an extent, science backs this theory up: during the regular Pro Football season, home teams win 57% of the time, and one of the main factors behind this percentage is the effects of travel. In fact, since 2007, West Coast teams are 6-30 when forced to play on the East Coast with a 1pm EST starting time.
As experts in black car service and executive travel, we know the toll that a hectic travel schedule can take on a person. With that in mind, we set out to find out which Pro Football teams have the furthest to travel during the upcoming season, and which get to stay closer to home.
Unsurprisingly, the teams of the West Coast regularly have the longest distances to travel. The San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks, the Oakland Raiders, the San Diego Chargers, and the Arizona Cardinals will all travel over 11,000 miles this season, with the 49ers topping the list at 13,904 miles. Pair long plane rides with the effects of adapting to a new time zone, and it’s no wonder that these teams have been less than impressive recently (with the exception of the Seattle Seahawks).
The East Coast and Midwestern teams have the friendliest travel schedules. The Philadelphia Eagles have the shortest distance to travel, a mere 3,410 miles, followed by the Washington Redskins, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Tennessee Titans. The 2015 Super Bowl winners, the New England Patriots, will have to travel 7,654 miles, placing them right near the median amount of miles teams have to travel. Away games at Miami, Houston, and Dallas help the Patriots rack up their frequent flyer miles.
It’s a long road to the 2016 Super Bowl, and it remains to be seen how much travel will impact favorites such as the Seahawks, the Green Bay Packers, and the Patriots. How far does your favorite team have to travel this year?