San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy and head coach Kyle Shanahan
Getty
San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy and head coach Kyle Shanahan
The San Francisco 49ers were arguably the most injured team in the NFL this season.
A viral conspiracy theory suggests the number of injuries are linked to the substation next to the team’s practice facility and subsequent EMF radiation it emits. Others believe the team just has terrible injury luck.
Whatever the reason is for the team’s alarming number of injuries, the newest development from the NFL sure isn’t going to help.
49ers to Set New NFL Record for Travel Miles
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle reacts during an NFL game.
GettySan Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle reacts during an NFL game.
San Francisco will play the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia in the season opener and a yet-to-be-determined opponent in Mexico next season, making the 49ers just the second team in NFL history to play to different international games on two different continents in a single season.
But that kind of daunting schedule also comes with a downside.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed that the 49ers are about to set a dubious NFL record — one that many of their players may not be too happy about.
“With upcoming trips to Australia and Mexico City, not to mention Atlanta and New York, the 49ers will travel over 38,000 miles this season — more miles than any NFL team has traveled in any one season,” Schefter reported.
With its 17-game regular season schedule, San Francisco will have traveled more than 38,000 miles once the regular season concludes, surpassing the Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, who both traveled more than 37,000 miles lasts season.
In addition to the two international games, the 49ers also have to big East Coast trips against the Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants.
Given how banged up the 49ers were this year — the team lost defensive end Nick Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner to season-ending injuries in addition to several other players during the season — how well the roster holds up with such an intense travel schedule will be something to monitor.
49ers’ Brutal Travel Schedule
The team’s season opener against the Rams in Melbourne is by far the most brutal travel of the season, marking 15,738 miles traveled round-trip. San Francisco’s game in Mexico City will be another 3,854 miles.
The biggest road trip of the season will be against the Giants, where the 49ers will travel another 5,111 miles, followed by the road trip to Atlanta, which adds another 4,258 miles.
The next longest road trips are against the Kansas City Chiefs (2,958 miles) and Dallas Cowboys (2,934 miles). The 49ers do have a couple manageable road trips against the Arizona Cardinals (1,224 miles) and Seattle Seahawks (1,412 miles), while the shortest road trip will be against the Chargers in L.A. — a short 616 mile commute.
That game could be another 49ers takeover as SoFi Stadium has become known lately as Levi’s Stadium South given how well the team’s fans travel against the Rams.