January 21, 2019
With the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs complete, the most usual suspect remains in the running for another shot at the Super Bowl. The New England Patriots, about whom quarterback Tom Brady said after their defeat of the Los Angeles Chargers, “everyone thinks we suck,” are back for a shot at a third consecutive Super Bowl title.
The Patriots will be playing in their eighth consecutive AFC Championship on Sunday, when they visit the Kansas City Chiefs. At $497, demand for tickets to that game are the highest for playoff game in Kansas City this decade, according to secondary ticket marketplace TicketIQ.com, but the second cheapest among AFC Championships this decade. The average asking price for a ticket to the NFC Championship, which will pit the Los Angeles Rams against the New Orleans Saints, is currently $634, making it the fourth expensive NFC Championship since 2010.
Of the four teams in the conference championships, only the Patriots are a familiar face in recent years. The host Chiefs last played in an AFC Championship in 1994. In the NFC, the Ram’s last appearance in the conference championship was in 2002, and the Saints’ was in 2010.
Below is a look at how the conference championships are shaping up:
NFC Championship
Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints
- When: Sunday, 3:05 p.m.
- Average asking price: $712
- Get-in price: $300
After winning their second consecutive NFC South title and fourth in 10 years, the Saints aren’t messing around. New Orleans put an end to Philadelphia’s hope that it could repeat as Super Bowl champions, defeating the Eagles, 20-14, in an NFC Divisional game on Sunday, sending the Saints to their second NFC Championship in 10 years.
When the Saints last hosted an NFC Championship, they won the first Super Bowl in franchise history. Ticket prices on the secondary market for that game settled at $744 in 2010. This time around, the average asking price of $712 is the fourth cheapest for an NFC Championship game since 2010, when TicketIQ.com began tracking data. The priciest NFC Championship cost fans $1,280 in 2018, when the Minnesota Vikings played at the Eagles. The get-in price for Sunday’s game is $274
Sunday’s NFC Championship is currently the secondmost expensive playoff game at New Orleans for the decade, while the cheapest cost fans $251 last year, when the Saints hosted the Carolina Panthers in a Wild-Card game. However, over the last three days prices have dropped 28% and could fall even further as we get closer to the game.
AFC Championship
New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs
- When: Sunday, 6:40 p.m.
- Average asking price: $330
- Get-in price: $165
And you thought the Patriots’ dynasty was finally going to come to an end. Sunday’s 41-28 defeat of the Chargers should make everyone consider that the Patriots could be headed to their third consecutive Super Bowl and sixth in 12 years. With the Patriots in the game, demand on the secondary market has pushed the average asking price for next weekend’s game to a high for a playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium this decade, according to TicketIQ.com. The game will be first conference championship in Kansas City since 1994, when the Chiefs lost to the Buffalo Bills, 30-13.
The average asking price is more than 22% higher than the previous priciest playoff game. In 2017, fans paid an average of $271 to see the Chiefs play the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Divisional Round. The cheapest playoff game cost fans $150 to see Kansas City host Tennessee in a Wild-Card game in 2018.
Historically speaking, this AFC Championship is trending toward being the cheapest of the decade, prices have dropped all week and the game is now slightly less expensive than the $342 fans paid in 2010 to see the New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts game.
With the field narrowed, the average asking price for a Super Bowl ticket in Atlanta on February 3 is $9,640, which would make it the most expensive since 2010, when TicketIQ.com began tracking data. The second most expensive game was last year’s game, when fans paid an average of $7,277 to see the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Patriots at Minnesota.
With the NFL’s Wild-Card weekend complete, only eight teams remain in the playoffs and the Divisional round features not only some interesting matchups, but some record-breaking demand.
When the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams play on Sunday, it will mark the first time in more than 30 years that the teams have played in the postseason, and demand is high. The get-in price for the game has risen 137%, according to secondary ticket marketplace TicketIQ.com, since tickets first went on sale in mid-December. And the $730 average asking price for the NFC Divisional matchup is the highest across the NFL.
As the New England Patriots prepare to make their 10th consecutive playoff appearance, demand for tickets is also strong. The $590 average asking price is the highest for a Divisional game at Gillette Stadium this decade and the second priciest in the league this year.
One AFC and NFC Divisional game each will be played on Saturday and Sunday, with the winners headed to their respective conference championships. The highest average asking price for a conference championship is currently $1,108, for a Patriots AFC title game. That number is down significantly from a high of $1,449 when tickets first went on sale in December. The cheapest conference championship game would be one at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium, which has a current average asking price of $580.
As the field narrows, demand for the Super Bowl, set for February 3 in Atlanta, has remained steady. The average asking price of $6,182 would be the second highest of the decade behind last season’s $7,277 for the Philadelphia Eagles-Patriots game.
Below is a look at how prices for all four of this weekend’s Divisional games are shaping up.
AFC DIVISIONAL GAMES
Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs- When: Saturday, 4:35 p.m.
- Average asking price: $209
- Get-in price: $123
Though the average asking price for Saturday’s game is the cheapest across the NFL, it is the second highest for a Kansas City Wild-Card or Divisional game this decade, according to TicketIQ.com. The most expensive of the decade cost fans $271 when the Chiefs lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 2017 Divisional matchup. The cheapest since 2010, when TicketIQ.com began tracking data, was $150 to see the Chiefs beat the Titans in a Wild-Card game last year. The Colts and Chiefs have played 25 times and the Colts hold a 16-9 all-time series advantage. The teams last met in 2016, when the Chiefs won. They last met in the playoffs in 2014, when the Colts beat the Chiefs in a Wild-Card game.
- When: Sunday, 1:05 p.m.
- Average asking price: $590
- Get-in price: $203
For a change, the Patriots are not commanding the most expensive ticket for an NFL playoff game. The $590 average asking price is the second most expensive across the NFL, behind $806 for the Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams game, according to TicketIQ.com. Historically speaking, the average asking price is the highest of the decade for a Divisional game, and more than twice as much as the $246 fans paid last year to see the Patriots beat Tennessee. That was the cheapest Divisional game of the decade at Gillette Stadium. The second most expensive Divisional game cost fans $458, when the Patriots hosted the Texans in 2017, when they went on to win Super Bowl LI. The Chargers and Patriots have a rich history dating to 1960. New England holds a 24-15-2 all-time series advantage, and have won seven of the teams' last eight meetings.
NFC DIVISIONAL GAMES
Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams
- When: Saturday at 8:15 p.m.
- Average asking price: $730
- Get-in price: $334
The $730 average asking price isn’t only the highest across Divisional games this year, it’s nearly four times as expensive as the $208 average for last year’s Wild-Card loss against the Atlanta Falcons. Since leaving St. Louis after the 2015 season, the Rams have made the playoffs twice. Prior to last year’s appearance, the Rams hadn’t qualified for the postseason since finishing second in the NFC West in 2003. They lost to the Falcons in the Divisional round that year. The Cowboys and Rams last met in the playoffs more than 30 years ago, when Los Angeles shut out Dallas, 20-0, in an NFC Divisional game in 1986. The Rams, who hold a 17-16 all-time series advantage, also beat the Rams in their last regular-season meeting in 2017.
Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints
- When: Sunday at 4:40 p.m.
- Average asking price: $427
- Get-in price: $195
Since winning Super Bowl XLIV, the Saints have become playoff regulars, advancing to the postseason in six of the last 10 seasons. The $427 secondary market average asking price is the second highest for a Divisional game across the NFL this year, and the priciest Divisional or Wild-Card round game in New Orleans of the decade, according to TicketIQ.com. The next most expensive was $487 for a 2010 Divisional game, and the cheapest was $251 for last year’s Wild-Card game against the Carolina Panthers. The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles hold a 17-14 all-time series advantage against the Saints. The teams last met in the playoffs in 2014, when the Saints won, 26-24, at Philadelphia. The Saints also won the last regular-season meeting, beating the Eagles, 48-7, on November 18, 2018.
For the second time this decade, the average asking price of the NFL’s conference championships could both break the $1,000 barrier. In fact, with about a month to go before the NFC and AFC Championships, the average asking price for five potential participants is more than $1,000, with demand for the Chicago Bears leading the way. The current average asking price of $1,463 for a Bears home NFC Championship would be the highest in NFL history, according to secondary ticket marketplace TicketIQ.com.
The next three highest average asking prices are $1,449 for the New England Patriots, $1,376 for the Houston Texans, $1,242 for the Los Angeles Chargers, and $1,050 for the New Orleans Saints. Compared to the Super Bowl, those prices are a steal. Super Bowl LIII is averaging $6,426, which would make it the second most expensive of the decade behind last year’s $7,277 when the Philadelphia Eagles beat the New England Patriots for the first title in franchise history.
The Super Bowl is set for February 3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The playoffs start the weekend of January 5-6 with the Wild-Card round.
Three of the four NFC divisions have already been decided as the Los Angeles Rams, Saints and Bears have already clinched. Only the NFC East, which the Dallas Cowboys are currently leading, is undecided. In the AFC, no team has clinched a division, though the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers have both secured playoff spots.
Below is a look at the teams commanding the highest post-season prices on the secondary market, according to TicketIQ.com.
NFC Playoff Teams
- Wild Card or Divisional Game: Average asking price: $638 / Get-in price: $358
- NFC Championship: Average asking price: $1,463 / Get-in price: $496
The Bears haven’t played in the postseason since 2011, and fans in the Windy City are more than ready to pack Soldier Field in January. The Bears have already clinched the NFC North, the first time they’ve won the division since since 2010, when they lost to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship. Demand for playoff tickets is high – in fact, the average asking price for a potential NFC Championship game involving the Bears is the highest in the NFL. And the $638 average asking price for a Wild Card or Divisional game is the third highest in the league, according to TicketIQ.com.
- Divisional Game: Average asking price: $598 / Get-in price: $289
- NFC Championship: Average asking price: $1,050 / Get-in price: $485
The Saints have already clinched their second consecutive NFC South championship and their first playoff game will be a Divisional game. Fans have pushed prices to that Divisional game up to No. 4 across the NFL, according to TicketIQ.com, while a potential Saints NFC Championship has a current average asking price of $1,050, making one of five that have broken the $1,000 barrier. This season marks the fourth time this decade New Orleans has reached the postseason, and both the Divisional and NFC Championship average asking prices are the highest of the four. The next most expensive playoff game cost fans $744 on the secondary market when the Saints beat the Minnesota Vikings on their way to winning Super Bowl XLIV.
- Wild Card or Divisional Game: Average asking price: $436 / Get-in price: $80
- NFC Championship: Average asking price: $958 / Get-in price: $379
At 8-6 and leading the NFC East through Week 15, the Dallas Cowboys are a projected No. 4 seed in the playoffs. This season would mark the Cowboys third playoff appearance this decade. Both the average asking prices for the Wild Card or Divisional round and a potential Cowboys NFC Championship rank No. 6 across the league, according to TicketIQ.com. The $80 get-in price for the Cowboys first postseason game is the lowest among NFL teams. The Cowboys won the NFC East in 2014 and 2016, but didn’t get past the Divisional round in either season.
- Divisional Game: Average asking price: $393 / Get-in price: $124
- NFC Championship: Average asking price: $865 / Get-in price: $268
Since fleeing St. Louis after the 2015 season, the Rams are on the cusp of a second consecutive playoff appearance and have already clinched a second straight NFC West title. Prior to the move, the Rams hadn’t gotten to the postseason since finishing second in the West in 2004. Los Angeles currently plays in the biggest stadium in the NFL. The Los Angeles Coliseum seats 93,607, and as such is likely playing a factor in average asking prices. Both the average asking price for the Divisional and potential NFC Championship games rank No. 7. Fans paid an average of $208 to see the Rams lose to the Atlanta Falcons in a 2018 Wild-Card game.
AFC Playoff Teams
- Divisional Game: Average asking price: $210 / Get-in price: $89
- AFC Championship: Average asking price: $501 / Get-in price: $84
Along with the Los Angeles Chargers, the Chiefs had the best record in the AFC through Week 15. At 11-3, both teams are among four with 11 or more victories to date (Saints, 12-2; Rams 11-3). Despite their dominance, the $210 average asking price for a Divisional game is ranked No. 9 across the NFL and is the second cheapest in Kansas City this decade. Fans paid a low of $150 for last year’s Wild-Card game against Tennessee and a high of $271 for the 2017 Divisional game against Pittsburgh. The Chiefs have not advanced past the Divisional round this decade, but could clinch the AFC West title for the third consecutive season.
- Wild Card or Divisional Game: Average asking price: $693 /Get-in price: $346
- AFC Championship: Average asking price: $1,449 / Get-in price: $735
Regulars in the postseason throughout the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era, Patriots fans never seem to tire of seeing their team play. The average asking price on the secondary market for a potential AFC Championship game is the second highest across the league, and highest among Divisional or Conference Championship games since 2010, according to TicketIQ.com. The second highest post-season game cost fans $1,014 when the Patriots beat Jacksonville in last year’s AFC Championship. The $693 average asking price for a Wild Card or Divisional game is the second only to the Los Angeles Chargers this year. The Patriots have played in the postseason all but one time (2008) since 2003, and have won four Super Bowls in that span.
- Wild Card or Divisional Game: Average asking price: $514 /Get-in price: $189
- AFC Championship: Average asking price: $1,376 /Get-in price: $555
The Texans missed the postseason last year, but are in first place in the AFC South and are poised to clinch their first division title since 2016. The average asking price for a potential AFC Championship involving the Texans is trending at $1,376, making it the third most expensive across the NFL. The average asking price for a Wild Card or Divisional game ranks No. 5, according to TicketIQ.com. In their last playoff appearance, the Texans lost to the Patriots in a Divisional game after the 2016 season. Houston has won the South four times since 2011, but hasn’t advanced past the Divisional round.
- Wild Card or Divisional Game: Average asking price: $700 / Get-in price: $350
- AFC Championship: Average asking price: $1,242 / Get-in price: $551
Two years after abandoning San Diego for Los Angeles, the Chargers are headed for their first playoff appearance in five seasons – they lost to the Broncos in a Divisional game following the 2013 season. Demand has pushed the average asking price of a ticket to a Wild Card or Divisional game to an NFL high this season, and the average asking price for a potential Chargers AFC Championship is fourth in the league. The high cost can be attributed in part to where the Chargers play – their temporary home at StubHub Center has a capacity of 27,000, less than a third of the size of the NFL’s biggest stadium, the Los Angeles Coliseum, which seats 93,607 people and is home to the cross-town Rams.
