The Rams and 49ers already know each other well. They play in the same division and have a lot of the same offensive DNA. They usually spend two games a year searching for any edge they can find. But for their trip to Australia, they're taking completely different approaches.

San Francisco left the Bay Area on September 2nd, nine days before kickoff. The Rams reportedly plan to show up about 24 hours before the game, play, and then immediately fly home.

The 49ers are giving their players more than a full week to adjust. The Rams are trying to keep the trip as short as possible.

San Francisco's Moving Their Entire Clock

The 49ers didn’t just pick the long route and hope for the best. General manager John Lynch said the team talked with sports-science experts, sleep specialists, and athletes who’ve dealt with international travel. San Francisco even sent an advance group to Australia, and the effects of the trip stuck around for about three days. After the team shared what they found, Lynch said the players overwhelmingly wanted to get there early.

The plan is pretty straightforward: deal with the miserable part of the trip early, get everyone sleeping on Melbourne time, practice there, and try to have it all feel normal by kickoff.

There’s some science behind that approach, though not enough to say it’s definitely the right one. So San Francisco's giving themselves more time to work through the problem. The tradeoff is that the team will be away from home for a full week, then have to adjust all over again once they get back.

Los Angeles Is Trying To Make This Quick And Painless

The Rams are betting that trying to adjust halfway is worse than not adjusting at all. Sean McVay’s team used a similar plan in London last season, landing less than 30 hours before kickoff and then beating Jacksonville 35-7.

Melbourne's a much bigger trip, but the kickoff time helps explain the strategy. The game starts at 10:35 a.m. Friday in Australia, which is 5:35 p.m. Thursday in Los Angeles. If the Rams keep everyone on Pacific Time, their bodies should experience it more like a normal late-afternoon game instead of a bizarre morning kickoff.

That sounds clever. It still doesn’t make a roughly 15-hour flight disappear. Sitting on a plane that long and dealing with the general misery of international travel can leave players worn out even if they don't fully reset their body clocks. Los Angeles is betting that one big hit is easier to handle than adjusting twice.

Whichever team wins will probably be treated like they somehow proved their travel plan was the right one. But they won’t have proved much. Injuries, turnovers, all the actual football will matter a lot more than anyone’s sleep schedule.

The more interesting evidence might come afterward, when both teams fly home without a bye and have to get ready for Week 2.

The Rams and 49ers kick off Thursday, September 10, at 5:35 p.m. PT/8:35 p.m. ET on Netflix.

Want more NFL coverage? Head to Sports Pass for the latest. And for more stories that keep you informed and entertained, YourLifeBuzz has you covered.