VERSAILLES, France — Ryan Wright has been part of several NFL teams to make a trip across the Atlantic Ocean and play a football game, but this week is also a bit of a new experience.

The New Orleans Saints punter flew in on Monday with the rest of his teammates, and he will finally be fully acclimated to a European time zone by the time kickoff arrives this Sunday.

“On a shorter week, you just kind of have to deal with it; you’ve got to man up and play the game,” Wright said. “Whereas when we’re here for the entire week, you get a couple days to get acclimated and have a true normal week. Either way you’ve still got to play the game and the goal is to win.”

The Saints flew out of New Jersey a few hours after beating the New York Giants last Sunday, arriving in France Monday morning. While there are some other considerations with the Saints holding exclusive marketing rights in France, this is also how the team has typically operated when it has come to international games.

And if the football reasons behind it weren’t obvious, they became clear when hearing the players speak after practices this week.

“Today was the first day I felt normal, every other day was a struggle,” said defensive back Martin Emerson Thursday, his fourth day in France.

“I felt kind of delusional I was so tired,” running back Kendre Miller said.

Cam Jordan, the Saints’ 37-year-old edge rusher, was especially happy to arrive early. Speaking to reporters after the team’s first practice Wednesday afternoon, he tried to conceptualize the idea of playing a game 48 hours after arrival.

“I would not lie to you, it wouldn’t have happened,” Jordan said. “I would’ve been out there looking like a jellyfish.”

Of course, the players getting their bodies synced up with the local time zone is not a guaranteed predictor of success. The Saints know that from their last trip abroad.

In 2022, New Orleans spent the entire week in London only to lose 28-25 to the Minnesota Vikings, who’d arrived the Friday before the game. It’s worth noting that Minnesota went 13-4 that season.

Wright was on that Vikings team, and he converted a 4th and 2 by throwing a pass to Josh Nailor for 13 yards on a fake punt.