Except for that Winnipeg game, Packers among NFL's most in-demand tickets
Richard RymanGREEN BAY – Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur turned off the blaring music during the second half of the team's practice on Sunday. Maybe he was getting ready for the game in Winnipeg.
Tickets sales continue to struggle for that preseason game with the Oakland Raiders on Aug. 22. It's the result, it seems, of the promoter and the Raiders having higher expectations of the matchup than fans. Despite reducing prices for some end zone seats to about $70 U.S. last week, there still are many unclaimed tickets in the 33,000-seat IG Field.
You maybe can't blame them for thinking it would be a popular game. According to SeatGeek, the Packers are the fourth most in-demand team in the NFL this season, and the Packers-Raiders regular-season game at Lambeau Field in October has an average ticket price of $378. The lowest get-in prices are in the $140-$150 range.
But the Winnipeg game is also a preseason game, which means even if starters play more than usual, the key players, including Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, will play less than a half. Rodgers has yet to take a preseason snap and it's not certain he will on Thursday, either. He has been sidelined with tightness in his back.
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The promoter told The Canadian Press last week that about half the tickets for Thursday's game remained unsold, according to The Winnipeg Press.
Most Packers fans already have decided if they are going to Winnipeg, but if there are any last-minute thoughts about making the trip, tickets were as low as $57 Monday on some secondary market ticket sites.
By comparison, Packers fans can get into the final preseason game, against the Kansas City Chiefs on Aug. 29 at Lambeau Field, for as little as $12, barely more than the cost of Family Night practice. Of course, it is unlikely many Packers starters will play much, if at all, so the price seems about right.
Things pick up quickly with the regular season, when the Packers open on Sept. 5 against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. It is the first game of the NFL's 100th season and includes two of the league's oldest rivals. The average lowest price is $379.
The Packers play at Lambeau Field for the three weeks following the Bears game, against the Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles. The Vikings and Broncos games are at noon on Sundays; the Eagles game on a Thursday night.
The cheapest Vikings ticket on Monday was $151, with the average lowest price at $177. That's going to be a big weekend in Green Bay, with Bart Starr celebrations on Saturday and Sunday, a free Big & Rich concert Saturday evening outside Lambeau Field and Eric Church concerts Friday and Saturday at the Resch Center.
The Broncos matchup, which is a Gold Package game, has prices similar to the Vikings game, with the average lowest price at $176. It's the second consecutive year the mostly southern Wisconsin tickets holders have gotten two noon games (the other is against the Raiders on Oct. 20), so it's not surprising demand remains high.
The Packers play the Eagles on a Thursday night, which tends to dampen interest unless it's a marquee game. The Eagles aren't chopped liver, but they also aren't the Dallas Cowboys. The average lowest price is $134.
According to SeatGeek, the average secondary-market ticket prices for Packers games are 7 percent less than last year. That's despite a 14 increase in demand for Green Bay Packers away games compared to last season, SeatGeek said. The most in-demand away game is against the Los Angeles Chargers on Nov. 3, and the best deal is the game against the Lions in Detroit on Dec. 29.
For our weekly look at Packers tickets prices, we surveyed secondary-market websites for Event USA, Green Bay Ticket Service, NFL Ticket Exchange, StubHub, Ticket King, SeatGeek and VividSeats. Note that ticket brokers can add fees on top of prices listed here, so actual costs might be higher.
Aug. 22, 7 p.m., Oakland Raiders, IG Field, Winnipeg, Canada, Packers network
- Face-price range (not including premium seating): About $56 to $255 U.S.
- Average lowest seat: $66
- Range of lowest seat: $52-$79
Aug. 29, 7 p.m. Kansas City Chief, Lambeau Field, Packers network
- Face-price range (not including premium seating): $56-$72
- Average lowest seat: $15
- Range of lowest seat: $12-$26
Sept. 5, 7:20 p.m., Chicago Bears, Soldier Field, NBC
- Face-price range (not including premium seating): N/A
- Average lowest seat: $379
- Range of lowest seat: $360-$402
Sept. 15, noon, Minnesota Vikings, Lambeau Field, Fox
- Face-price range (not including premium seating): $111-$142
- Average lowest seat: $177
- Range of lowest seat: $151-$225
Sept. 22, noon, Denver Broncos, Lambeau Field, Fox
- Face-price range (not including premium seating): $111-$142
- Average lowest seat: $176
- Range of lowest seat: $145-$216
Sept. 26, 7:20 p.m. Philadelphia Eagles, Lambeau Field, Fox
- Face-price range (not including premium seating): $111-$142
- Average lowest seat: $134
- Range of lowest seat: $110-$160
Contact Richard Ryman at (920) 431-8342 or rryman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RichRymanPG, on Instagram at @rrymanPG or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardRymanPG/