SANTA CLARA — Shortly after the 49ers’ learned of where their travels would take them for the NFC Championship Game, coach Kyle Shanahan started receiving text messages from some of his players.
With the 49ers’ victory over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Saturday night, the 49ers knew they would be taking their seventh road trip in the past nine weeks.
Typically, the team leaves two days before the game when traveling to different time zones. The Los Angeles Rams’ victory over Tampa Bay would have ordinarily set up for a Saturday trip to Southern California.
But multiple players expressed their desire to depart for Los Angeles on Friday for the Sunday game.
“It was a group of us, and we were all interested in it,” 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said. “It’s kind of been our routine on our away trips this season. I think it gets guys locked in.
“I got a pretty good routine, as far as studying and things like that. When we leave on Friday, it allows you to stay more locked into the game plan and eliminates distractions.”
Shanahan was already thinking about changing from the team’s normal travel plans for the NFC Championship Game when he began getting input from some of his players.
“I don’t like to change up what we normally do,” Shanahan said. “It just feels like we normally leave on Fridays because it seems like we’ve had so many road trips recently. But a number of players hit me up Sunday right after the Rams won and asked if we could go on Friday.
“I was pumped they asked because I like going on Fridays more now because you get more time to focus and get right to the game, so that’s what we’re doing.”
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The 49ers were scheduled to leave team headquarters around 7:30 p.m. to make their arrival at the hotel similar to the schedule when the club travels to the Eastern or Central time zones.
Over the past eight weeks, the 49ers have traveled for games to Seattle, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Los Angeles, Dallas and Green Bay.
