Packers-Vikings game remains pricey as teams head for important division clash
GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Packers played poorly and just avoided victory Monday night.
They did not, however, kill their playoff chances. If the Packers, who are 6-7, win their final four games, they will be in the playoffs. If they win three of four, especially if the loss is not to the Minnesota Vikings, they likely will make the playoffs. If their only loss is to the Vikings, they still have a good shot at the postseason.
Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers continues to be an opportunity for unticketed fans. The average get-in price is $98, which is $31 less than the cheapest face-value seat in Lambeau Field, and down $13 from last week. The price is determined by averaging the lowest prices at 11 secondary marketplaces.
The following week, the Packers play the woeful 1-12 Carolina Panthers at Charlotte, North Carolina, on Christmas Eve. It's hard to see anyone getting excited about this game and the ticket prices reflect that, except Packers fans are almost always excited about the Packers. Nonetheless, the average get-in price is a paltry $48, down from $50 last week.
The same cannot be said about the the final two games of the season, in Minneapolis against the Vikings and at Lambeau Field against the Bears. The get-in average for the Vikings game is $315, a healthy $58 increase from last week. The Vikings eked out a 3-0 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday and remain a game ahead of the Packers. Assuming the Packers don't lose during the next two weeks, the game will be an important one.
More: Recapping the Packers messy loss to the Giants, as all three phases struggle on Monday
The Vikings finish the season against the Cincinnati Bengals, NFC North-leading Detroit Lions, the Packers and the Lions again, a more difficult schedule than the Packers face, but also one that mathematically gives the Vikings a chance of winning the division.
The Bears game is, well, the Bears game. Chicago defeated the Vikings and Lions in back-to-back games, and no doubt would love to add the Packers to their list of in-division victims. On Monday, the average get-in price was $142, which is below the lowest face-value ticket.
The NFL has yet to announced game times for the season's final day, which can be a deterrent to ticket buyers, but if this game has meaning, beyond the typical rivalry, expect prices to rise.
Ticket prices
For our look at Packers' tickets prices, we average the lowest ticket prices at 11 secondary-market websites: Event USA, Gametime, Green Bay Ticket Service, SeatGeek, StubHub, TicketIQ, Ticket King, Ticketmaster, TickPick, TicketSmarter and Vivid Seats.
Note that ticket brokers can add fees on top of the prices listed here, so actual costs might be higher.
The Packers announced they will sell standing-room-only tickets for all home games this season. The face value of SRO tickets is $93. The SRO section is on the fourth level of the south end zone.
As the standing-room-only tickets are designated as not available for resale, any tickets found on the secondary market cannot be verified, so buyers should proceed at their own risk. If fans purchase standing-room-only tickets on the secondary market and encounter issues with the tickets, their only recourse would be to contact the ticket seller.
The get-in price averages do not include standing-room-only tickets.
The following are secondary market ticket prices as of Dec. 12:
Dec. 17, noon, Lambeau Field, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, CBS
Face-price range: $129-$165
Average lowest-cost seat: $98
Price on Dec. 4: $111
Range of lowest-cost seats: $75-$165
Bucs results: Tampa Bay is 6-7. The Buccaneers defeated the Atlanta Falcons 29-25 on Sunday.
What matters about this game? The Packers need to win this game to retain their playoff hopes.
Tampa Bay leads the NFC South with a 6-7 record. So does New Orleans and Atlanta. Tampa Bay might be the best of the lot. Baker Mayfield isn't Tom Brady, but Tommy DeVito wasn't Ely Manning, either.
Dec. 24, noon, Bank of America Stadium, Carolina Panthers, Fox
Face-price range: N/A
Average lowest-cost seat: $48
Price on Dec. 4: $50
Range of lowest-cost seats: $38-$68
Panthers results: Carolina is 1-12. The Panthers lost to the New Orleans Saints 28-6 on Sunday.
What matters about this game? Carolina might not win another game this season. The team is a shambles; the worst team in a bad division. Losing doesn't even help the Panthers, who traded their first-round draft pick to the Bears.
The Packers would not want to be the Houston Texans, who somehow managed to come in second in their game against Carolina in October. A considerable achievement, in its way.
Dec. 31, 7:20 p.m., U.S. Bank Stadium, Minnesota Vikings, NBC
Face-price range: N/A
Average lowest-cost seat: $315
Price on Dec. 4: $257
Range of lowest-cost seats: $230-$402
Vikings results: Minnesota is 7-6. The Vikings defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 3-0 on Sunday.
What matters about this game? In an era where placekickers hit 60-yard field goals with alarming frequency (13 in the last three seasons), the Vikings and Raiders crafted the lowest-scoring game in the NFL in 16 years. Not in old outdoor Metropolitan Stadium in December, mind you, but in the near-perfect indoor conditions of Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium. Which is to say, the Vikings haven't got their quarterback problems worked out, and receiver Justin Jefferson's much anticipated return ended abruptly with a crushing tackle and precautionary trip to the hospital. Whoever their quarterback is — Nick Mullins replaced Joshua Dobbs midgame on Sunday — it won't be Kirk Cousins, who had a season-ending injury when the Vikings defeated the Packers on Oct. 29.
This will be a critical game if the Packers are still in the playoff race on New Year's Eve. Also, it's the Packers' third nationally televised game in the month of December. A big and, for fans expensive, stage.
Jan. 7 Lambeau Field, Chicago Bears, time and network to be determined
Face-price range: $129-$165
Average lowest-cost seat: $142
Price in August: $118
Range of lowest-cost seats: $109-$225
Bucs results: Chicago is 5-8. The Bears defeated the Detroit Lions 28-13 on Sunday.
What matters about this game? The Bears have discovered scrappy. They defeated the Vikings 12-10 three weeks ago, took a week off, then whipped division-leading Detroit by a bigger margin than the Packers did on Thanksgiving. This is not the Bears team the Packers swamped 38-20 on opening day, and not a team the Packers can look past if their playoff hopes are still alive.
Also, the Bears can safely win this game without imperiling their likely No. 1 draft pick in 2024, because they own Carolina's first-round pick. (See Carolina, above).
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 playoff hopes not dead, but ticket prices don't reflect that
