August 22, 2016
Over the next two weeks, TicketIQ will break down secondary market ticket prices for each NFL team during the 2016 season. Today's focus will be on the NFC North, where the Chicago Bears own the most expensive ticket prices in the division.
After an uncharacteristic two-game skid at the end of the 2015 regular season, the Green Bay Packers allowed the Minnesota Vikings to clinch their first divisional title in six years. Even with a new banner and stadium in 2016, the Vikings won't serve as the top-priced team in the NFC North this season. That honor belongs to the Chicago Bears, who despite their forgettable 2015 are posting massive ticket demand on the resale market for games at Soldier Field.
Check out the complete NFC North price breakdown below, according to TicketIQ:
Chicago Bears | 2016 Avg. Home Price: $377 | % Change from 2015: +7%
Even with a second straight last-place finish, the Bears will continue to see a huge demand for tickets on the secondary market in 2016. Bears tickets at Soldier Field this season now average $377, marking a 7% increase from the 2015 season. The Bears haven't had a winning season since 2012, but it doesn't appear that on-field success constitutes greater ticket demand in Chicago.
A December 18 game against the Packers will be the top-priced game at Soldier Field this season. Tickets currently average $468 and the get-in price is $166. Conversely, a Christmas Eve battle with the Washington Redskins is the cheapest game in Chicago this year at an average resale price of $286 and $70 get-in price.
Green Bay Packers | 2016 Avg. Home Price: $372 | % Change from 2015: +8%
The Packers absorbed an early blow with the loss of Jordy Nelson during the 2015 preseason, losing their star wide receiver to a torn ACL for the remainder of the year. Still, even without Nelson the Packers clinched a playoff berth with a 10-6 record. Aaron Rodgers and Co. will likely be tested by the startup Vikings again this season, who begin a new era in Minnesota at U.S. Bank Stadium. Packers tickets on TicketIQ are now averaging $372 across all eight games at Lambeau Field this season.
The Dallas Cowboys will head to Green Bay on October 16 for what will be the top-priced game at Lambeau this season. As it stands now the average price for tickets to the game is $484 on the secondary market. For those looking to just get in the cheapest tickets are $314. On Christmas Eve the Vikings will be in town for the cheapest game this season, with tickets averaging $303 and the get-in price is $152.
Minnesota Vikings | 2016 Avg. Home Price: $315 | % Change from 2015: +113%
Equipped with a budding roster of young stars and a brand new, $1.1 billion stadium, the Vikings have all the tools needed for a banner year in their inaugural season at U.S. Bank Stadium. The excitement for their new home is clear on the secondary market as well, as Vikings tickets at U.S. Bank Stadium are now averaging $315, up more than double the price from 2015. That is the biggest year-over-year increase in the entire league (the Los Angeles Rams are a distant second with an 88% average price increase in their first year back in Southern California).
Perhaps expectedly, the team's home opener against the Packers on September 18 will be the most expensive game of the season. That game currently owns a secondary market average of $690, nearly 120% over season average, and the get-in price is $264. A December 18 game against the Indianapolis Colts is the cheapest game at U.S. Bank Stadium this season, with tickets averaging $264 and the get-in price starting from $75.
Detroit Lions | 2016 Avg. Home Price: $154 | % Change from 2015: -7%
The biggest news coming out of the Lions' camp this season will be the loss of star wideout Calvin Johnson, who retired in the offseason after nine NFL seasons. The team's 7-9 record in 2015 hasn't helped ticket demand increase on the secondary market, either, as Lions tickets during the 2016 season are down 7% on average. Across all eight games at Ford Field the Lions are averaging a $154 ticket, the lowest in the NFC North this season.
The Lions will play their most expensive home game on New Year's Day against the Packers. That game currently owns a resale average of $205 and a $72 get-in price. The cheapest game in Detroit comes against the Jacksonville Jaguars on November 20 at a $124 average and $31 get-in price.
