Packers ticket prices soar as playoff hopes come down to last game of season against Detroit Lions
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Here's something that's rarely said: The season-ending game between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions is so important that ticket prices are up nearly 75% since last week.
The Packers and the Lions will play the final NFL regular-season game at 7:20 p.m. Sunday at Lambeau Field. If the Packers win, they get a playoff berth. Detroit could get a playoff spot if it wins, depending on the outcome of the Los Angeles Rams-Seattle Seahawks game played earlier in the day. The average get-in price, determined by surveying 10 secondary market sites, was $173, up $73 from Dec. 27 and up $129 from Dec. 5.
By assigning this game to the Sunday Night Football slot after last weekend's results, the NFL clearly thinks it's a big game, too.
(Note: The NFL said Tuesday morning it made no changes to this week's schedule in the wake of the serious injury to Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin during Monday night's game in Cincinnati. The resumption of the Buffalo-Cincinnati game remains undecided, except that it will not be played this week.)
The Packers' unlikely run to the playoffs ― they were 4-8 after losing seven of eight games during the middle of the season ― continued last week with a 41-17 drubbing of NFC North champion Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field, Green Bay's fourth consecutive win.
The Lions have had their own late-season comeback, winning seven of their last nine games, beginning with a 15-9 victory over the Packers at Ford Field on Nov. 6.
If the Seahawks, who play at 3:25 p.m. Sunday, defeat the Rams, the Lions will be out of the playoff picture. Without that motivation, the Lions, with nothing to play for, could be an easier opponent, or, as Aaron Nagler of CheeseheadTV contends, it could make them even more dangerous. They could pull out all the stops in an effort to deny the Packers a post-season game.
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The Packers and Lions have ended their seasons playing one another six times in the last seven years. This is the first time since 2016, when the two teams squared off for the NFC North championship, that the game has had meaning. The Packers won 31-24 in Detroit. Green Bay finished that season with six consecutive victories to finish 10-6.
The weather forecast for Sunday is for a high of 30, a low of 17, with partly cloudy skies.
Secondary market ticket prices
The following are secondary market ticket prices as of Tuesday.
For our look at Packers' tickets prices, we averaged the lowest ticket prices at 10 secondary market websites: Event USA, Gametime, Green Bay Ticket Service, SeatGeek, StubHub, TicketIQ, Ticketmaster, TickPick, Ticket King and Vivid Seats.
Note that ticket marketplaces can add fees on top of listed prices, so actual costs might be higher.
Some websites offer standing-room-only tickets for Packers home games. The Packers have designated these tickets as "not available for resale," so buyers proceed at their own risk. If the ticket does not scan as valid, fans won't be admitted to the stadium, and their recourse for a refund is to contact the seller of the ticket.
Jan. 8, 7:20 p.m., Detroit Lions, Lambeau Field, NBC, Sunday Night Football
Face-price range: $123-$156
Average lowest-cost seats: $173
Range of lowest-cost seats: $142-$205
Contact Richard Ryman at rryman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RichRymanPG, on Instagram at @rrymanPG or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardRymanPG/.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Packers ticket prices soar as playoff hopes come down to final game
