Steelers' Last-Minute Paris Travel Plan Raises Eyebrows Ahead of Stade de France Game

The next international game on the National Football League's annual slate will take place at the Stade de France in Paris, where the Pittsburgh Steelers will face the New Orleans Saints. But ahead of kickoff, attention has turned to the Steelers' travel plans, with reports that the team will arrive in France only at the last minute rather than several days early.

According to reports, the Steelers plan to take a red-eye flight to France departing on Thursday night. Their opponents, the Saints, by contrast, have already been in the country for a few days and have had the chance to adjust to their surroundings. The two teams' contrasting preparation strategies have sparked debate on social media.

The game itself has also drawn criticism because France is experiencing civil unrest at the moment. Even so, the game will go ahead as scheduled. The Steelers have canceled a fan event in Paris over fears of unrest, while the NFL is pushing ahead with its own event and the game.

An NFL vice president has said the league is 'vigilant' about security for the France matchup and remains confident in its plans. In other words, while the security situation is being closely watched, no decision has been taken to cancel the game or move it elsewhere.

Several reasons have been offered for the Steelers' late departure. It allows for more game preparation at home; with all the uncertainty around the game, waiting also makes it easier to be sure the match will happen; and the schedule may be less disruptive to players' sleep habits than leaving much earlier.

Critics, however, argue that long-haul travel is exhausting in itself, and that arriving on another continent so close to game time leaves the body little chance to adjust to a new time zone. Many people on social media were quick to point that out and to ask whether the decision will affect performance on the field.

There is a recent precedent for the debate. The Los Angeles Rams flew to Melbourne, Australia very close to game time and their big loss to the San Francisco 49ers was partly blamed on that travel schedule, because the 49ers had been in Australia for far longer.

In hindsight, the Rams were not quite the world-beaters many thought before the season, but the travel schedule could not have helped matters. And while a red-eye to France is not as brutal as a red-eye to Australia, travel is still exhausting, as many on social media pointed out.

The wife of Steelers star T.J. Watt has also broken ranks with the NFL's march toward the Paris game, questioning how playing there makes sense. As a result, the off-field discussion has begun to overshadow the build-up to the match itself.

Who will end up being right — the early-to-the-party Saints or the comparatively late Steelers — will be decided on the field. The much-discussed game kicks off at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Sunday at the Stade de France.