The Minnesota Vikings have tried to find every competitive advantage they can ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Detroit Lions, including the team snatching up $2million in tickets from Ford Field.
The Vikings claimed 1,900 seats located behind the visitors bench, with each stub costing around $1,000. They then resold them to team-based stakeholders for between $200 and $300.
When the Lions found out about the purchase, they contacted the NFL, who told the team the Vikings had not broken league rules, per Sports Illustrated.
That’s a massive loss in profits but one that could prove to be worthwhile to gain just under 3 percent more of Detroit’s gridiron fan base on Minnesota’s side for the last game of the NFL regular season.
The 1,900-ticket total does not count the 600 stubs the Lions are mandated to give the Vikings as part of NFL rules for a road team, and any part of Minnesota’s fan base that have purchased tickets through Detroit’s sales.
The crowd on Sunday night is will expected to have an overwhelming amount of Lions fans to witness the battle for the NFC North and the conference’s top overall seed.
The Minnesota Vikings have bought 1,900 tickets for team stakeholders for Sunday’s game
The Lions checked with the NFL about it, with the league saying Detroit did not break the rules
In the first NFL regular-season game in league history between teams with 13 or more wins (both have 14), the loser will have to go on the road for next week’s Wild Card round against the winner of the NFC South.
A possible rematch of this game could happen in the Divisional playoffs if seeding holds, except for the loser of this game taking down the No 4 seed.
The loser will have the best record of any non-division winner in NFL history, with that team still possible having the NFL’s third-best record come Monday and not host a playoff game.
The Lions won the previous matchup this season 31-29 at US Bank Stadium on a last-minute Jake Bates field goal.
Ford Field has a capacity of 65,000, with the Lions packing it full almost every week of their current resurgence.
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