For the Rams, there are pros and cons to playing in Los Angeles. The weather is perfect, the TV market is huge, the stadium is magnificent and the beach is nearby. One of the biggest downsides, however, is the amount of travel required each year.
As a West Coast team, the Rams are often among the league leaders in miles traveled. That’s because the majority of NFL teams are located in the Central or Eastern time zones. In fact, only seven teams are located in the Mountain or Pacific time zones.
In 2021, the Rams will once again rack up the miles, but not in the way they did last year. According to ESPN, they’ll travel the fourth-most miles in the NFL at around 25,000. The 49ers will travel the most, followed by the Seahawks and Jaguars.
— Brian Burke (@bburkeESPN) May 13, 2021
The Rams have road games in New York, Baltimore, Green Bay, Houston, Minnesota and Indianapolis, besides the other three in the NFC West. That beats having to make trips to Philadelphia, Buffalo, Washington, Miami and Tampa Bay, as the Rams did last year.
When accounting for the number of miles their opponents have to travel, however, the Rams’ schedule doesn’t look as bad. ESPN calculates that the Rams’ net miles (sum of Rams’ miles minus miles opponents will travel to L.A.) are only the ninth-most in the NFL.
Almost forgot these. More important than total travel miles: pic.twitter.com/IetnrRjMYd
— Brian Burke (@bburkeESPN) May 13, 2021
So in other words, it could be worse. Just look at that bar next to the 49ers.
