The New England Patriots may or may not end up on the road during the NFL playoffs. Should they be forced to travel, the players have to eat.
It is an expansive operation to get them enough meals.
NFL players eat approximately 10 times during a 24/36-hour road trip. There are 53 of them!
How many calories does an NFL player burn per day?
The answer to that question depends on their position, which directly correlates to body size and activity level. A single intense practice can burn as many as 2,000 calories. A game day starts at 2,000.
On top of that, these players are jacked. Their large muscle mass raises their resting metabolic rate so even a light day at the office can burn more than 1,500 calories.
Offensive and defensive linemen have a greater body mass so they burn more calories overall. Skill positions vary. A wide receiver is obviously going to burn more calories on a 200-yard day than a 10-yard day, depending on the amount of routes run and the length of those routes. A defensive back is going to burn more calories covering a deep threat than a slot guy.
All of these different factors do not allow for an exact answer to this initial question. However, most NFL players burn between 2,000 and 3,000 calories per day, and up to 6,000 calories on a game day.
They must then fuel their bodies with high-calorie, balanced meals to stay healthy and recover.
The New England Patriots serve their players 11 meals.
Before we go any further here, this specific scenario applies only to an 8:00 p.m. kickoff on the road. And the road trip is likely to the west coast — or somewhere that allows enough time for a full in-flight service.
In that scenario, the New England Patriots offer their players 11 different meals during their travel.
- Pre-departure meal at facility
- Seafood, chicken, steak entrees, starches, vegetables
- Tarmac food before departure
- Sandwiches, salads
- Outbound flight meal
- Entree or wrap/sandwich
- Arrival dinner at hotel
- Full entrees with desserts
- Game day breakfast
- Full entrees (eggs, bacon, fruit, etc.)
- Midday snack
- Fruit, wraps, sandwiches, burritos, salads
- Pre-game meal
- Full entrees
- Halftime
- PB&Js, fruit, protein bars
- Post-game meal
- Catered by local restaurant
- Tarmac food before return flight
- Sandwiches, salads
- Return flight meal return
- Entree or wrap/sandwich
Here is how it all breaks down, per team dietician Ted Harper:
NFL players get HOW MANY meals while traveling ⁉️ pic.twitter.com/0RX4R8coxi
— z – New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 2, 2026
I would imagine that not every player eats every meal but they have the option to eat at nearly every stop throughout the day. They must be fuel up their bodies for the game and must refuel their bodies after.