Packers-Bears tickets cheaper heading into Sunday night's game at Lambeau Field
Richard Ryman
GREEN BAY – Sunday's Green Bay Packers-Chicago Bears game is markedly cheaper than two weeks ago when both teams were coming off victories.
The Bears lost on Sunday to the Arizona Cardinals and are playing without popular rookie quarterback Justin Fields, and the Packers had the week off. It is normal for prices to fall in the week leading up to a game, but the Packers-Bears games traditionally are more costly than records would justify because of the legendary rivalry between the two teams and fan bases.
Reality is setting in this week, however. The Packers are 9-3 and coming off an impressive win over the 8-4 Los Angeles Rams two weeks ago, and the Bears are 4-8 and have looked bad getting there. On Monday, the average lowest get-in price for the coming Sunday Night Football game was $170, compared with $245 two weeks ago.
Fields missed the last two games because of broken ribs and quarterback Andy Dalton started for Chicago, barely beating a hapless Detroit and losing to the Cardinals.
According to secondary marketplace TickPick, this is the fourth most-expensive Packers-Bears games they've experienced. With an average ticket price of $320, it ranks behind games in 2015 ($460), 2013 ($357) and 2018 ($343).
TickPick said 20% of purchases were from Illinois zip codes, although it's certain they are not all Bears fans. Many Packers fans live in Northern Illinois.
The current most expensive game on the Packers schedule is the following week, when Green Bay travels to Baltimore. The average lowest price is $210, which is $12 more than two weeks ago.
The NFL, as it is wont to do late in the season, fiddled with the Packers schedule, moving the Dec. 19 game from noon to 3:25 p.m., central time.
Baltimore is 8-4 after losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers by one point on Sunday and, all things being equal, is Green Bay's toughest opponent in the final five games. The Ravens' Lamar Jackson is one of the league's most exciting quarterbacks and an Aaron Rodgers-Jackson meeting can be anticipated by TV networks and fans.
RELATED:Dougherty: With all-in urgency, Packers made a series of bold moves. How have they turned out?
The inconsistent Cleveland Browns, who are 6-6 and were on a bye last week, play the Packers at 3:30 p.m. on Christmas Day at Lambeau Field. It is only the third Christmas Day game in Packers history. The average lowest price is $113, which is $5 less than the lowest face-value ticket.
The Packers follow the Cleveland game by hosting the Minnesota Vikings, who beat Green Bay in November but on Sunday managed to be the only team to lose to the Lions this year. The average lowest price for the Packers-Vikings games is $164, which is $10 more than two weeks ago but $30 less than in mid-November.
If the Packers beat the Bears on Sunday night, they will clinch a tie for the NFC North title regardless of how Minnesota fares against Pittsburgh on Thursday night. But that doesn't mean the Jan. 2 game against the Vikings will be unimportant. The Packers likely still will be fighting for first seed in the NFC playoffs and the Vikings, who have been within a touchdown of winning every game this season, can't be taken for granted.
The Packers finish the regular season in Detroit, where the average get-in price is $60. The 1-10-1 Lions finally won a game, defeating Minnesota 29-27 on Sunday in Detroit, which goes to prove that it's dangerous to take any NFL team lightly.
Last week's recap
Arizona Cardinals 33, Chicago Bears 22
Stadium: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 60,803
Records: Cardinals 10-2, Bears 4-8
The Green Bay Packers, 9-3, were on a bye week.
Ticket prices
The following are secondary market ticket prices as of Thursday.
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.
Dec. 12, 7:20 p.m., Chicago Bears, Lambeau Field, NBC, Sunday Night Football
Face-price range: $118-$149
Average lowest-cost seat: $170
Range of lowest-cost seat: $139-$191
COVID-19 protocols: Masks recommended indoors for everyone and for unvaccinated fans in crowded outdoor settings.
Dec. 19, 3:25 p.m., Baltimore Ravens, M&T Bank Stadium, noon, Fox
(Note: Game time changed from noon by the NFL)
Face-price range: N/A
Average lowest-cost seat: $210
Range of lowest-cost seat: $163-$242
COVID-19 protocols: Masks required for all fans indoors, including in suites and club seating concourse.
Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 3:30 pm., Cleveland Browns, Lambeau Field, Fox
Face-price range: $118-$149
Average lowest-cost seat: $113
Range of lowest-cost seat: $96-$129
COVID-19 protocols: Masks recommended indoors for everyone and for unvaccinated fans in crowded outdoor settings.
Jan. 2, 7:20 p.m., Minnesota Vikings, Lambeau Field, Sunday Night Football, NBC
Face-price range: $118-$149
Average lowest-cost seat: $164
Range of lowest-cost seat: $134-$191
COVID-19 protocols: Masks recommended indoors for everyone and for unvaccinated fans in crowded outdoor settings.
Jan. 9, noon, Detroit Lions, Ford Field, Fox
Face-price range: N/A
Average lowest-cost seat: $60
Range of lowest-cost seat: $47-$65
COVID-19 protocols: Ford Field recommends masks for all guests, including those who are fully vaccinated, for all indoor locations, as recommended by the City of Detroit Health Department.
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/.