Kyle Shanahan admitted he “felt like crap” for three to four days after the 49ers returned from a season‑opening trip to Melbourne, Australia, but he said the squad is now “ready to rock” and fully focused on the upcoming matchup with Miami.
Veteran tight end George Kittle described the adjustment back to a normal sleep schedule as “really weird,” while linebacker Fred Warner said he was groggy for “about a day” before feeling back to his usual self, underscoring a shared sentiment that the jet‑lag symptoms have largely subsided.
The team spent a week in Australia, confronting a 17‑hour time difference, then flew back to California where they were given five days before hitting the practice field again on Wednesday. That window allowed players to catch up on film, lift weights and, according to Shanahan, return to a “real normal” routine despite the earlier schedule disruptions.
Shanahan used the extra time to attend his son’s high‑school football game on Friday night, while Kittle spent Saturday morning on a golf course and later watched the Iowa Hawkeyes defeat Brock Purdy’s Iowa State Cyclones, illustrating how quickly the group slipped back into everyday life.
Running back Christian McCaffrey recalled that the return flight turned into a “slumber party,” with him sleeping for 13 hours and Kittle for 11, and said the training staff’s three‑day post‑landing regimen—covering bedtime timing and light exposure—helped reset the players’ body clocks.
The injury report for the Dolphins game listed only second‑string running back Kaelon Black (quad) and kicker Eddie Pineiro (illness) as questionable. Both had missed recent practices, but the report noted no new setbacks for starters: Kittle said his Achilles and calf were “zero setbacks,” Warner felt “like himself” after his ankle fracture, and defensive end Nick Bosa reported minimal soreness after knee surgery last September.
Shanahan contrasted the 49ers’ preparation with the Los Angeles Rams, who struggled with travel fatigue the previous week, and emphasized that any lingering jet‑lag concerns are “whatever” as the team’s focus remains on executing on the field against the Dolphins.
If the 49ers can translate their confidence and the disciplined recovery plan into performance, they will aim to replicate the 20‑point victory they posted over the Rams, but the true test will come on Sunday when the clock finally decides whether the jet lag is truly behind them.