The Cowboys are scheduled to fly about 5,220 miles to Rio de Janeiro to face the Baltimore Ravens, making the round trip nearly 10,500 miles. The NFL-record international journey will not be followed by a break, with Dallas set to visit the Houston Texans in Week 4.
Baltimore, which also is scheduled to play that week, is traveling approximately 4,781 miles from its home city and is set to host the Tennessee Titans.
The Rio game is scheduled for 5:25 p.m. local time, with the city one hour ahead of Eastern Time. CBS Sports’ schedule analysis indicates the teams might not leave Brazil until after midnight. Dallas’ return flight is expected to exceed 10 hours, potentially putting the team back in Dallas near noon Monday.
Previous teams covering similar distances received extra rest. The Rams flew 5,456 miles to London last season and then had a bye. The Rams and San Francisco 49ers flew more than 7,800 miles to Australia for a Week 1 game and had at least 10 days before their following games.
The two prior NFL games in Brazil were also in Week 1, allowing extra time before Week 2.
Before this trip, Denver held the record for the longest journey without a subsequent bye, traveling 4,670 miles to London in Week 6 last season. The Broncos won both games, while scoring their fewest points of that season in London and trailing by 18 points before rallying the next week.
