Tyler Williams' job this week is to essentially trick the body clocks of 53 Vikings players and their coaching staff into thinking a game in London is business as usual for not only this week but next week when the team won't have the typical bye that follows an overseas game.
"The goal is to keep them on Central time as much as possible," said Williams, the team's executive director of player health and performance. "We know we'll shift them a little bit. We just won't shift them all the way there."
Now is the easy part. Unlike Sunday's designated home team, New Orleans, which flew to London from Charlotte the day after Sunday's loss to Carolina, the Vikings have been sleeping in their own beds and will keep practicing as normal at TCO Performance Center through Thursday afternoon before boarding their flight at 6:30 that evening.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins followed a similar travel schedule when his Washington team played the Bengals in London in 2016. He threw for a career-high and London-record 458 yards in a 27-27 tie. He took neither side Wednesday when asked whether leaving early or late in the week presents an advantage.
"There's pros and cons to both," he said. "I can understand why [the Saints] left when they did. I can understand why we're leaving when we are. I think it goes both ways."
Williams was with the Rams on four trips to London. They left early twice and late twice. Williams and the sleep experts with whom he consulted believe leaving late is the better option.
The hard part starts Thursday night when the team charter departs on a seven-and-a-half-hour flight for a city that's six hours ahead of Central time, landing close to 8 a.m. London time.
"You probably want to sleep the whole day when you get there," defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson said.
