NFL schedule makers completely screwed these teams with 2026 travel demands

The NFL schedules are finally out. No more leaks, no more speculation, we know exactly when everyone is playing each other and where. The where is important this year because the NFL will break last season’s record of miles traveled with 628,873 miles. San Francisco, along with setting a new record for miles traveled in a season, will travel across 58 time zones, beating the Los Angeles Chargers’ record of 42 last year. 

Simply put, this season, you won’t just have to keep up with who’s carrying your teams’ games. You’ll also have to keep up with where you’re team is playing with the NFL playing nine international games.

San Francisco 49ers

• 2026 miles traveled: 38,105

San Francisco will have a historic 2026 regardless of how many wins and losses they have. They will travel an NFL record 38,105 miles this season, including trips to Australia and Mexico City. Their international trips are about two-and-a-half months apart which is a good thing. That said, it doesn’t make it easier to swallow that they have one of the toughest schedules and furthest distances traveled. 

The Mexico trip is interesting with a road game at Dallas the week before, but they are home to Seattle right after. Once they get back from Australia, they will have three straight home games. It’s not ideal having to travel the world twice for a football game, but it could have been a whole lot worse. The schedule makers didn’t hurt San Francisco as much as they could, which could go a long way to competing in a gauntlet NFC West. 

Los Angeles Rams

• 2026 miles traveled: 34,847

As if it wasn’t bad enough being on the west coast, the LA Rams open the 2026 season in Melbourne, Australia. With a lengthy Week 1 trip the Rams miles racked up to more than 27,000 miles traveled this season. That’s outrageous and when you think about the fact that the Rams have one of the hardest schedules in the NFL and have to travel internationally to start the season. 

Along with a trip to the other side of the world, the Rams also have to travel all the way to the east coast to play at Philadelphia and at Washington. The schedule makers are hardly ever nice to the west coast teams, but they were particularly not nice to the Rams. It’s bad enough they have to play in the NFC West against San Francisco and Seattle twice a year. Now they have to add travel fatigue to their variables in 2026. 

Dallas Cowboys

• 2026 miles traveled: 27,980

America’s Team is going global! That’s right, Jerry Jones’ Cowboys will be playing in Rio de Janeiro against Baltimore in Week 3. Why that stands out is because not only is it a 10-plus hour flight south, but it’s also the first of back-to-back road games. The Cowboys go from Brazil to Houston in a week. That’s a lot of travel considering it’s not a traditional road game. I guess that’s why these players are professionals. 

Dallas does have to play at the Rams and at Seattle. Seattle is obviously their second furthest opponent aside from Brazil. Having to travel this much can take a toll on a team. The good thing is at least it’s early in the season. Dallas doesn’t have a bye until Week 14 so delaying their international trip more would have been brutal. 

New England Patriots

• 2026 miles traveled: 27,590

It looks like the Patriots have an easier schedule than they do. While the opponents might not be their biggest issue, the travel will. They have the fifth most miles traveled in the NFL and are one of six teams with 27,000 or more miles traveled this season. Like the Rams the Cowboys, the Patriots have an international game themselves, playing in Germany against the Detroit Lions. International travel is always tough, but you have to give credit to the NFL for trying to expand the NFL’s reach. 

New England is certainly in an interesting situation this year. They have to capitalize on a Super Bowl run last year and need to show that the money they invest in this roster was worth it. By looking at their schedule, they’ll have to prepare mentally as well as physically this season. The good thing for them is that they have a home game the week before and a bye week right after. It could be a lot worse for the Patriots schedule wise.

Houston Texans

• 2026 miles traveled: 28,470

The pressure on C.J. Stroud just ramped up tremendously. The Texans have to travel more than 28,000 miles this year and Stroud has a small margin for error. If he and the Texans survive this schedule it might just earn him a long term deal to stay in Houston. They’ll have to play Jacksonville in London. While they will have a road game in Nashville the week before, they come home for a week and then the bye. 

Aside from a trip to London, their only other lengthy trip is to play the Los Angeles Chargers. This is an important season for Houston so they can’t let all the travel be a factor in their results. They’ve been a playoff team since Stroud took over, but there’s no guarantee they’ll remain a playoff team. They haven’t won more than one game in the postseason so maybe a tough regular season slate can prepare them for a playoff run. 

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