The Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens are set to play in Brazil under a travel schedule that has not previously been faced by an NFL team in the same way.
Dallas will travel about 5,220 miles to Rio de Janeiro and will not have a bye before its next game, making it the first team to fly at least 5,000 miles for a game without receiving an extra week off afterward.
The Cowboys are scheduled to travel nearly 10,500 miles round trip. Baltimore’s flight to Rio will cover about 4,781 miles, and the Ravens also are scheduled to play the following week. Dallas will visit the Texans in Week 4, while Baltimore will host the Titans.
The Rio game is scheduled for 5:25 p.m. local time. Because Rio is one hour ahead of Eastern Time, the teams may not leave Brazil until after midnight. The flight back to Dallas is expected to take more than 10 hours, which could put the Cowboys back home near noon on Monday.
Both teams plan to depart their home airports Thursday night and arrive in Rio on Friday morning. The Cowboys will adjust to a two-hour time difference, while the Ravens will face a one-hour change. The effects of the travel on their Week 4 games are not yet clear.
Previous teams that traveled comparable distances received additional rest before their next games. The Rams flew 5,456 miles to London last season and had a bye afterward, while the Rams and 49ers received 10 days off after traveling more than 7,800 miles to Australia for a Week 1 matchup.
