Instead of racking up the frequent flier miles, the Los Angeles Chargers will chill on the East Coast leading up to Week 3’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Facing the Carolina Panthers this Sunday, Jim Harbaugh’s team will get used to Eastern Standard Time instead of traversing the country four times over in the span of a week.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Harbaugh outlined the team’s travel plans.
“Think it’s a great time to do it,” he said via the team’s YouTube channel. “It’s not the most ideal thing. Sure, everybody would rather be sleeping in their own bed back in their own house. The 1 o’clock Eastern Time kickoff really necessitates, that’s 10 o’clock our body time, getting acclimated to that.”
Teams have increasingly taken this approach in the past, not to reduce their carbon footprint but to avoid the jet lag of flying coast-to-coast. Harbaugh notes that an early afternoon kickoff in Pittsburgh would feel like the morning for the West Coast Chargers, potentially creating sluggish play.
Per ESPN’s Kris Rhim, the team will practice at UNC-Charlotte’s stadium. It’s a school well-represented in Pittsburgh’s defense, with EDGE Alex Highsmith and DL Larry Ogunjobi attending.
The Chargers were dealt a difficult schedule playing at Carolina and Pittsburgh in back-to-back weeks. But the ever-optimistic and often funky Harbaugh, invoking Willie Neslon’s “On The Road Again,” sees the upside.
“You take out the 20 or so hours of travel time. And lots of other benefits. Lets us focus on our football. We get to be all together for a whole week a la training camp type of style. Definitely team bonding to be had.”
Week 3 will be the Steelers’ home opener after their tough slate to begin the year, on the road in Atlanta and Denver their first two weeks.
The Chargers have made themselves at home coming to the Steelers’ venue, winning their last two regular-season road games in Pittsburgh. In 2018, they came out on top 33-30 and won 34-24 in 2012. But all that will matter two Sundays from now is each team’s preparation. Harbaugh believes packing heavy for a week is the best course for his new team. If things go well for each side, the Chargers and Steelers could greet each other with 2-0 records.
