This Is Brazil!: Chiefs Reveal Mentality Before Grueling Trip

Grueling flight

Worthy and the Chiefs will remember that scene again on Wednesday, when they board a jumbo jet and embark on the third-longest flight by an NFL team this season -- believed to be the longest regular-season flight in franchise history (the Chiefs made the nearly 13-hour flight to Tokyo for preseason games in 1994 and 1998).

Their São Paulo-bound plane will fly 11-plus hours, surpassed this year by only the 12-hour, 47-minute flight of their Brazil opponent next week, the Chargers, and an 11-and-a-half-hour flight the Rams make to London in Week 7.

But Andy Reid said Friday his team considers playing an international game a privilege, and the grueling trip is part of the job.

“I think it's a little bit of a frame of mind,” the Chiefs’ head coach said. “I think you’re being honored to actually do this, because you're doing well, and that's the way you approach it. It's an honor to have an overseas game and to be able to go to Brazil.”

Reid said NFL teams are so evenly matched in an age of parity that the site of the game doesn’t matter. He noted the Chargers have their own grueling travel schedule, and both teams will play on the same field at Arena Corinthians, home of Sport Club Corinthians Paulista of the Brasieiro Serie A professional league.

Gonna be a lot of fun

Last season, the Eagles began their journey to a Super Bowl victory over the Chiefs by kicking off the season at the same facility with a win against Green Bay. Chiefs tight end Noah Gray watched that game and looks forward to the trip.

“Yeah, absolutely. I think it's gonna be a lot of fun. I enjoyed my time when I went to Germany,” said Gray, who played with the Chiefs against Miami after a 10-hour flight to Frankfurt. “I know I'm gonna enjoy my time in Brazil. I think it's cool that, as an NFL player, we get to travel across the world.

“It's cool enough that I get to go from city to city that I've never been in here, never mind leaving the country. So, it's going to be awesome.”

Kansas City tackle Jawaan Taylor said the Chiefs will use some of the luggage space in the belly of their plane for extra cleats. And, he’ll be sure to pack an important item to treat any swelling the flight could cause in his knee.

“It’s a long flight,” Taylor said, “so just making sure I'm just keeping on compression sleeves on the way there. Once I get there, we'll see if I have to get it drained, possibly not. But other than that, just get on the flight, just go play the game.”

George Karlaftis has another reason to be excited.

“I don't speak any Portuguese,” he said Sunday. “I am blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, not to toot my own horn but I'll be ready. But I'm excited. It's always cool playing these games internationally. I'm a big proponent, obviously, of international games, and the game growing internationally, all that stuff. So, I'm really excited. It'll be a great opportunity, obviously against a divisional opponent, so I can't wait.”

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