San Francisco 49ers: 2011 Success Means Beating the Clock in the East
The NFL schedule cycles every year. Teams rotate who they play outside of their division, and this year’s slate includes games in the Eastern time zone. If there’s one area the San Francisco 49ers need to improve, it’s playing on the road in a city that is three hours ahead of West Coast time.
It’s a common understanding among those who fly regularly over long distances that flying east brings on the worst jet lag. And it’s easy to understand why. A flight to New York City from San Francisco leaves at 8 a.m. and lands about five hours later. But add in the three-hour time difference, the clock says 5 p.m. Just like that, three hours disappeared.
At the same time, those who fly great distances know that flying west doesn’t have as great an impact on their body clocks. It’s just like staying up late. A flight from New York may leave at noon and lands five hours later. But the clock says 2 p.m.
That need for making up time was one reason why the 49ers in the 1980s took the precaution of leaving one day earlier when scheduled for games in the East. Getting in on Thursday night, rather than Friday, allowed the team another day to adjust their bodies to the East Coast time zone.
That may sound trivial, but consider that most of these games started at 1 p.m. local time. That can seem like a 10 a.m. start for a team like the 49ers. And it’s hard to get the body up to speed that early, especially against a team playing on its home field, on a schedule accommodating to their own needs, in front of a hostile crowd.
Maybe that’s why the Niners are only 3-20 since 2003 against teams in the Eastern time zone. Of course, if you go back to 2001-02 seasons, the Niners are 5-0 in those years, and that can help explain the respective records of 12-4 and 10-6 – the last time the team had a winning record.
Sept. 25 at Cincinnati
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The last time the Niners played in Cincinnati, the Bengals prevailed 41-38 in a 2003 game where the temperature started at 29 degrees. Getting to play Cincinnati early in the year precludes the chance of similar weather.
Of course, a game 24 years ago at a similar time of year in Cincinnati proved quite critical for the Niners’ Super Bowl run.
The Bengals had a 26-20 lead with six seconds remaining and facing fourth down. Coach Sam Wyche decided not to punt, calling a reverse to James Brooks. The plan was that the play would run out the clock.
The Niner defense rose up and tackled Brooks with two seconds left. Joe Montana connected with Jerry Rice in the right corner of the end zone for a touchdown, and the PAT turned into a 27-26 victory.
Oct. 2 at Philadelphia
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It’s not easy for any team to incur two long plane flights around a game, but back-to-back games in the East can be particularly draining. The travel time from airport to hotel to get to the destination just kill an entire day, decreasing the amount of preparation time. And then there’s the fact that the players are still feeling like they are on West Coast time.
The last time the Niners were at Lincoln Financial Field they were beaten 27-13. Rookie DeSean Jackson scored early and Donovan McNabb’s eight-yard scamper plus three David Akers field goals made it 20-3 at halftime. The Niners did get within 20-13 on a Josh Morgan TD pass from Alex Smith, but Philly prevailed.
Oct. 16 at Detroit
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It was in Detroit in 2006 where the Niners registered one of their rare road wins. Thanks to a 64-yard TD burst by Frank Gore with just over three minutes gone in the game, San Francisco never looked back.
Four Joe Nedney field goals capped the 19-13 win that improved their record to 4-5 and kept their playoff hopes alive.
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Nov. 6 at Washington
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The 2005 season included the 49ers’ first trip to FedEx Field and it turned into a 52-17 disaster. A 14-7 deficit midway in the first turned into a 35-7 deficit at halftime, one of the most embarrassing performances in recent 49er history.
Nov. 24 at Baltimore
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The Niners went into this late Nov. 30, 2003 game with a 5-6 record, playoff hopes hardly bright but alive. But 21 unanswered points by the Ravens, capped by a 29-yard interception return for TD by Ray Lewis, doused the hopes of Niner fans.
Baltimore’s 20-point fourth quarter made it the blowout.
Dec. 19, Pittsburgh in San Francisco
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This isn’t a road game, but it is a Monday night contest that the rest of the nation can see. This might be the game that announces to the entire country that coach Jim Harbaugh has resurrected the Niners.
But overall better play on the road will be essential for the 49ers. Just seeing competitiveness in games against elite teams from the East will be an improvement.
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