One competitive advantage the Falcons will have this season is travel. Their travel itinerary won't be as exhaustive as many teams in the league. In addition to an unusual schedule that doesn't feature back-to-back home or away games, the miles the Falcons will travel during the course of the 2012 regular season ranks 27th in the league.
The Falcons will travel 9,510 miles this year, ranking them near the bottom of the league. Only Green Bay, Washington, Indianapolis and Detroit will travel fewer, with Green Bay's 5,774 being the league's fewest.
As would be expected, the top teams in miles traveled are west coast teams. The Raiders will travel the most miles with 28,692. Just outside of the top five is Miami at No. 6 in miles traveled with 22,048.
In total, the miles traveled by all teams during the 2012 season will be 481,002. For some perspective, the miles around the world are considered to be 25,000. In addition to the Raiders, Seattle and San Diego will travel around the world during their regular season.
The NFC South will travel the third-fewest miles in total in the league with 47,688. The AFC West is tops and the NFC North will travel the least.
