Jet lag: Does it affect teams performances?

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Explaining the Jet Lag/Time Zone Factor in the NFL Over the course of the season, a trend has once again developed concerning the travel schedules of certain teams. This past week, the Patriots travelled to Qwest Field to play the Seattle Seahawks. Although this was a three hour flight, it is believed by many that the physical effects on players would have been much worse if the travel was in the other direction, if the Seahawks had been forced to play in New England. It is a common belief that West Coast teams are at a disadvantage when going to the East Coast to play a game at 1 pm. The idea is that the game starts three hours earlier for teams on the West Coast. Statistically, this trend appears to be correct, since the Cardinals, Seahawks, Raiders, and 49ers have all struggled on road games in the furthest time zone. They have combined to win a total of just 2 games, and have had difficulties getting off to a good first half start. This would appear to prove the theory to be true, but take a look at the records of the 4 teams. All have a losing record and are a combined 15-37. With such unimpressive seasons, is it likely that they will win any game? When the 49ers played at the Giants, do you think they would have beaten the defending Super Bowl champions? Do you think a Raiders team with no offense would beat the Dolphins? A weak team will not win many games at all, whether on the road or at home. So it's become pretty obvious that the teams located on the West Coast are noticeably bad this year. How does this theory relate to the Patriots? They will play at Oakland this Sunday, making it their second consecutive game on the road, and on the West Coast. Since we know that the talent of West Coast teams is less than the average NFL team and prevents them from winning games, is the reverse theory any more credible. Are East Coast teams playing in any of the West Coast stadiums at a disadvantage because the game would be three hours later? Would this cause teams to tire out late in the game because it feels later than usual? It is a fact that East Coast teams have a winning record this year against teams from the Pacific Time zone, whether the games were held in the morning, late afternoon or night. To put this theory to rest, if jet lag had any effect, players could always change their sleep times or wake up earlier or later. So we have seen that travel and jet lag does not make as much of a difference as previously thought by many people. Team preparation, film studies on opponents, getting good practices and workouts, etc, are much more important and a better indicator of a team's success, along with their talent level. For New England, they will play their second consecutive game against a team with a losing record and it's a must-win game to keep up in the AFC East race. By Chad Fukuoka ProFootball-fans.com New England Patriots Correspondent