Matt LaFleur won more games and a higher percentage of games than Vince Lombardi during his first six years as Green Bay Packers head coach. But — and it’s a big but — Lombardi won and LaFleur lost two championship games during their first six years.
Lombardi tallied a 65.9% regular-season winning percentage, winning 58 of 88 games. Lombardi was 2-1 in playoff games, with two NFL championships. LaFleur won 67 of 100 games for a 67% success rate. He was 3-5 in playoff games, with two NFC championship losses.
As LaFleur enters his seventh season as Green Bay’s head coach, more is expected of the Packers. And with the acquisition of premier pass rusher Micah Parsons from Dallas, expectations grow.
The Packers play in the NFC North, which in 2024 had three of four teams with 11 or more victories, the most success of any division in the NFL. What that means for Packers fans is a schedule in which every game, including (cough, cough) Cleveland and the New York football Giants, matters, even if ticket prices don’t reflect that. And that the Packers can’t go 1-5 in the division, as they did last year, and expect to the season to end well.
LaFleur’s record against this season’s opponents is 40-22.
The five most expensive games as of Aug. 29:
The five least expensive games as of Aug. 29:
How do we come to these ticket prices?
For our look at Packers’ tickets prices, we average the lowest ticket prices at 11 secondary-market websites: Event USA, Gametime, Green Bay Ticket Service, SeatGeek, StubHub, TicketIQ, Ticket King, Ticketmaster, TickPick, TicketSmarter and Vivid Seats.
The following are secondary market ticket prices as of Aug. 29 and our guesses as to why they are where they are.
Sept. 7, 3:25 p.m., Detroit Lions, Lambeau Field, CBS
Face-price range: $139-$196
Average lowest-cost seat: $328
Average lowest-cost seat in May: $414
Range of lowest-cost seats: $304-$344
Matt LaFleur vs. Lions: 6-6 overall, 3-3 at Lambeau Field. LaFleur started 5-0 against the Lions, but in the past 3½ seasons the Lions improved and the Packers stayed the same.
What is special about this game? The Packers will find out right away where they stand. The Lions finished second, first and first in the division the last three years, and were 15-2 last year, beating the Packers twice. The Packers, who once owned the Lions about as much as they own the Bears, now have lost six of the last seven games against Detroit.
This is the first time in coach Matt LaFleur’s seven years in Green Bay the Packers get to open the season at home. It is the third most-expensive game on the schedule at $328 average get-in price, trailing the Thanksgiving Day game in Detroit with $445 get-in and the Cincinnati Bengals game at Lambeau with $358 get-in. More about those below.
Green package ticket holders complain loudly about how many Detroit fans show up at Gold package games, so it will be interesting to see the makeup of fans for this one. At any rate, if Lions fans want to attend this game, it’ll cost ’em.
Sept. 11, 7:15 p.m., Washington Commanders, Lambeau Field, Prime Video
Face-price range: $139-$196
Average lowest-cost seat: $231
Average lowest-cost seat in May: $339
Range of lowest-cost seats: $197-$244
Matt LaFleur vs. Commanders: 2-1 overall, 2-0 at Lambeau Field.
What is special about this game? The Packers go from playing the best team in their division, at least until the first kickoff, to playing the team that lost last year’s NFC championship game to the Philadelphia Eagles — on three days rest. With an average get-in price of $231, this game ranks 11th on the Packers’ schedule.
Gold package ticket holders got all three NFC North games in 2024, which didn’t do anything to improve their standing with Green package holders. This year is decidedly less beneficial. The Gold package holders, who previously attended games played in Milwaukee and generally are not fans of weeknight games in Green Bay due to the travel time, have this Thursday night game and on Nov. 10 they have a Monday Night Football game against the Eagles.
On the other hand, they have games against the two teams that played in the NFC championship last season and the winner of Super Bowl LIX.
Sept. 21, noon, Cleveland Browns, Huntington Bank Field, Fox
Face-price range: N/A
Average lowest-cost seat: $104
Average lowest-cost seat in May: $109
Range of lowest-cost seats: $89-$107
Matt LaFleur vs. Browns: 1-0 at Lambeau Field.
What is special about this game? The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is practically next door to Huntington Bank Field, so there is more to do than watch what probably will continue to be a very bad Browns team. Cleveland was 3-14 last year and started training camp with five quarterbacks in residence, which gives you an idea of where they stand. As of this writing, Joe Flacco is scheduled to be their starter in week one, but this will be three weeks into the season, so who knows?
It was not that many years ago when you could get Browns tickets for less than $20. An average get-in price of $104 now is an inflation-adjusted equivalent of that. This is the least expensive game on the schedule, with only the Giants, who are in as much disarray at the Browns, near them in price.
Sept. 28, 7:20 p.m., Dallas Cowboys, AT&T Stadium, NBC
Face-price range: N/A
Average lowest-cost seat: $260
Average lowest-cost seat in May: $246
Range of lowest-cost seats: $223-$291
Matt LaFleur vs. Cowboys: 3-0, including the 2024 NFL wild card playoff game; 2-0 at AT&T Stadium.
What is special about this game? Well, this one got more interesting on Aug. 28, when the Packers acquired Micah Parsons for Kenny Clark and two first-round draft choices. Parsons is often referred to as a generational pass rusher, a game wrecker, etc. And now he’s on the Packers instead of the Cowboys. Packers fans can enjoy schadenfreude as much as anyone, and over the years have seemed to like traveling to Dallas. Ticket prices for this one might get higher.
Oct. 12, 3:25 p.m., Cincinnati Bengals, Lambeau Field, CBS
Face-price range: $139-$196
Average lowest-cost seat: $358
Average lowest-cost seat in May: $372
Range of lowest-cost seats: $300-$409
Matt LaFleur vs. Bengals: 1-0 at Paycor Stadium.
What is special about this game? The Bengals, led by quarterback Joe Burrow and receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, no doubt come to Lambeau with high expectations. The Bengals were in the Super Bowl at the end of the 2021 season and the AFC championship game the next year. Since then, they had consecutive 9-8 seasons, which in the competitive AFC North was not good enough to get them into the playoffs.
This is the second-most expensive game, with an average get-in price of $358. It is the only Packers home game in six weeks during the best part of the football season, weather-wise, which helps account for the price. As does it being the only Green package game over seven weeks.
Oct. 19, 3:25 p.m., Arizona Cardinals, State Farm Stadium, Fox
Face-price range: N/A
Average lowest-cost seat: $229
Average lowest-cost seat in May: $238
Range of lowest-cost seats: $200-$257
Matt LaFleur vs. Cardinals: 2-0, including 1-0 at State Farm Stadium.
What is special about this game? The Cardinals are one of those teams that fails to live up to its promise year after year.
Arizona isn’t the worst place to play in October (the rattlesnakes are starting to hibernate) and there’s plenty to do in Phoenix. There also are a lot of Packers fans who hibernate in Arizona, so if the Cardinals get off to a slow start, this could be the game (there’s always at least one every season) where it feels like a Packers home game.
As a side note, the Cardinals are the Packers’ oldest opponent still in the NFL. They tied the Chicago Cardinals 3-3 on Nov. 20, 1920, a week before they lost 20-0 to the Chicago Staleys, soon to become the Bears.
Oct. 28, 7:20 p.m., Pittsburgh Steelers, Acrisure Stadium, NBC
Face-price range: N/A
Average lowest-cost seat: $309
Average lowest-cost seat in May: $258
Range of lowest-cost seats: $273-$342
Matt LaFleur vs. Steelers: 1-1, including 0-1 at Acrisure Stadium.
What is special about this game? In a word, Aaron Rodgers. It will be the first time the Packers face Rodgers since he decamped for the New York Jets in 2023. His years there were not hall of fame level, but anyone who knows Rodgers knows how motivated he would be to beat the Packers in a prime time Sunday night. This ranks as the fourth most-expensive game, which likely reflects the Packers opponents higher on the list — games against the Lions (twice) and Bengals — but it might get more pricey if the Steelers are off to a good start.
Nov. 2, noon, Carolina Panthers, Lambeau Field, Fox
Face-price range: $139-$196
Average lowest-cost seat: $238
Average lowest-cost seat in May: $243
Range of lowest-cost seats: $208-$310
Matt LaFleur vs. Panthers: 3-0, including 2-0 at Lambeau Field.
What is special about this game? It’s a home game in early November, when the weather might be very footbally. The Panthers were not a good team in 2024 and there’s not much to get excited about in this matchup. If Carolina follows along the same path they did last year, this game will get cheaper.
Nov. 10, 7:15 p.m., Philadelphia Eagles, Lambeau Field, ESPN/ABC
Face-price range: $139-$196
Average lowest-cost seat: $295
Average lowest-cost seat in May: $393
Range of lowest-cost seats: $260-$360
Matt LaFleur vs. Eagles: 1-4, including 1-1 at Lambeau Field.
What is special about this game? By the time the defending Super Bowl champions come to Lambeau Field for a prime time Monday night game, the Packers should have a pretty good idea of their own abilities. They lost to Philadelphia in their first and last games of the 2024 season, so they’d like to show they are ready to move from good to elite. Also, good things happen at Lambeau Field on Monday nights. The Packers are 21-9-1 on Monday nights at home. This is a Gold package game and it ranks as sixth most-expensive.
Nov. 16, noon, New York Giants, MetLife Stadium, Fox
Face-price range: N/A
Average lowest-cost seat: $110
Average lowest-cost seat in May: $105
Range of lowest-cost seats: $103-$117
Matt LaFleur vs. Giants: 1-2, including 1-1 at MetLife Stadium.
What is special about this game? Blah. If Packers fans want a cheap game, this is the second least expensive on the schedule. The gap between the Cleveland Browns game, at $104, the Giants game at $110, and the third least expensive game, the Baltimore Ravens at $173, is stark.
Fans could use the money they save for a weekend on the town in the Big Apple.
Nov. 23, noon, Minnesota Vikings, Lambeau Field, Fox
Face-price range: $139-$196
Average lowest-cost seat: $259
Average lowest-cost seat in May: $323
Range of lowest-cost seats: $231-$291
Matt LaFleur vs. Vikings: 6-6, including 3-3 at Lambeau Field.
What is special about this game? This is the ninth-priciest game on the schedule. The Packers lost to the Vikings twice by two points in 2024. This starts a run of five NFC North games in seven weeks for the Packers, who will play the Lions three days later on Thanksgiving. If both teams are playing well by this point in the season, the price could go up. Vikings fans really enjoy coming to Lambeau Field because, even though Packers fans hate, hate, hate the Vikings, they douse Vikings fans with the expected level of Wisconsin nice when they come to Green Bay.
Nov. 27, noon, Detroit Lions, Ford Field, Fox
Face-price range: N/A
Average lowest-cost seat: $495
Average lowest-cost seat in May: $445
Range of lowest-cost seats: $333-$541
Matt LaFleur vs. Lions: 6-6 overall, 3-3 at Ford Field
What is special about this game? Could this be a repeat of Thanksgiving 2023 when the 4-6 Packers upset the 8-2 Lions 29-22? Detroit won the division, but the Packers finished 9-8 to make the playoffs, where they upset the Cowboys in a Dallas suburb before losing to 49ers in a San Francisco suburb.
It is the most expensive game of the year for Packers, with an average get-in price of $495. It is one of only six games where prices increased since May, when the schedule was announced and when sellers are more aspirational than realistic. Only two, this and the Steelers game, increased by significant amounts.
Dec. 7, noon, Chicago Bears, Lambeau Field, Fox
Face-price range: $139-$196
Average lowest-cost seat: $264
Average lowest-cost seat in May: $313
Range of lowest-cost seats: $237-$293
Matt LaFleur vs. Bears: 11-1, including 5-1 at Lambeau Field.
What is special about this game? The Bears believe they have the coach they want in former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and the quarterback they need in first-round 2024 draft pick Caleb Williams. They finally beat the Packers for the first time in 12 games at the end of the 2024 season. The Packers have continued the “most storied rivalry in football” mostly out of respect for tradition during the past 30 years, but if the Bears start winning again, at least some of the time, this could once again become a rivalry with heat. The fact that they play the Bears twice in 13 days won’t hurt either.
On the other hand, the whining by Bears fans after the Packers acquired Micah Parsons was warming to Packers fans hearts.
This game ranks 13th in cost at $264 average get-in price, two places above the game in Chicago at $303. These division games will be critical to the Packers, who cannot count on going 1-5 in the NFC North, as they did last year, and still make the playoffs. If the Bears are playing well, these prices could go up.
Dec. 14, 3:25 p.m., Denver Broncos, Empower Field, CBS
Face-price range: N/A
Average lowest-cost seat: $212
Average lowest-cost seat in May: $201
Range of lowest-cost seats: $197-$233
Matt LaFleur vs. Broncos: 1-1, including 0-1 at Empower Field.
What is special about this game? Denver was a respectable 10-7 last year and made the playoffs, but this game has not caught the attention of fans. It is fourth-cheapest on the Packers schedule. The Packers lost by two points in 2023 in Denver. This could be a bargain for traveling Packers fans, especially if they want to combine it with a ski trip. Otherwise, surrounded as it is by division games, Green Bay fans might be focused on those instead.
Dec. 20, 3:30 or 7 p.m., Chicago Bears, Soldier Field, Fox
Face-price range: N/A
Average lowest-cost seat: $298
Average lowest-cost seat in May: $303
Range of lowest-cost seats: $281-$332
Matt LaFleur vs. Bears: 11-1, including 6-0 at Soldier Field.
What is special about this game? Second Bears game in 13 days. This happened all the time in Tecmo Super Bowl football, but not in real life in recent memory. Whatever happens in the first game will no doubt carry over to this one and could well spur prices higher, especially if it’s a close game.
Dec. 27 or 28, TBD, Baltimore Ravens, Lambeau Field, TBD
Face-price range: $139-$196
Average lowest-cost seat: $173
Average lowest-cost seat in May: $235
Range of lowest-cost seats: $158-$197
Matt LaFleur vs. Ravens: 1-0 at M&T Bank Stadium.
What is special about this game? Baltimore is one of the best teams in the AFC, with two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson at quarterback. This game is underpriced — third least expensive of the year — mostly because we don’t know the date or time. If you have the flexibility to take whatever comes, it could be a great bargain.
Jan. 3 or 4, TBD, Minnesota Vikings, U.S. Bank Stadium, TBD
Face-price range: N/A
Average lowest-cost seat: $217
Average lowest-cost seat in May: $212
Range of lowest-cost seats: $209-$239
Matt LaFleur vs. Vikings: 6-6, including 3-3 at U.S. Bank Stadium.
What is special about this game? Same as for the Baltimore game, not knowing date or time certainly suppresses ticket prices. This could be a critical game for both teams if the NFC North is as tough or tougher (we’re looking at you, Bears) than it was last year.
Contact Richard Ryman at rryman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RichRymanPG, on Instagram at @rrymanPG or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardRymanPG.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Thanksgiving in Detroit remains most expensive game on Green Bay Packers schedule
Reporting by Richard Ryman, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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