Playoff buzz: There are 9,000 tickets available for ’sold out’ game
By MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM
Falcons vs. Seahawks
The Falcons were 4-1 and the Seahawks were 3-2 against common opponents during the regular season. But none of those common opponents qualified for the playoffs. The Falcons (regular season) and Seahawks (wild-card round) each won at Washington when quarterback Robert Griffin III was hobbled.
So Jeff Schultz, writing for his ajc.com blog, compared the teams in another way: how each fared against the other teams in the playoff field. It turns out the Falcons are the only team that went undefeated against the rest of the field, but they also played the fewest playoff teams.
The Falcons beat Denver, the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and Washington, which played a wild-card team after winning the NFC East. Seattle was 4-1 against teams that eventually made the playoffs.
The Seahawks beat the AFC’s No. 2 seed, New England, and the NFC’s No. 3 seed, Green Bay. The Seahawks also defeated NFC wild-card team Minnesota and split two games against San Francisco, the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
Tickets
The game Sunday at the Georgia Dome is sold out, but plenty of those tickets ended up on the secondary market. As of Tuesday afternoon, StubHub.com was offering more than 9,000 tickets that started at $60 for single upper end-zone seats.
“Mezzanine” seats, located in the second level, started at about $120 in the end zone. Tickets in the lower end-zone section started at roughly $120, and sideline lower seats ranged in price from about $170 to more than $800.
Quote of the day
“We’re going to be physical and consistent. And we’re going to do it until the other team can’t do it anymore.” — Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin to the Seattle Times.
View from Seattle
Danny O’Neil, writing for the Seattle Times, argued that the Seahawks busted three myths about the team with their 24-14 victory at Washington on Sunday. The myths, according to O’Neil, and how Seattle busted them:
1. Seattle is wasting a championship-caliber defense.
O’Neil: “This was the chorus in September after the Seahawks scored fewer than 20 points in four of their first five games. … Seattle’s offense has come a long way since then, its relentless ground game combining with an increasingly aggressive game plan for its effective young quarterback to create an efficient, above-average NFL offense.”
2. Seattle is not built to come back from big deficits.
O’Neil: “This is a logical assumption given the Seahawks’ propensity for running the ball. … But Sunday was the third time this season Seattle found itself down by double digits, and the second consecutive time it came back to win.”
3. The Seahawks can’t win on the road.
O’Neil: “There was a time you could make this argument. That, however, was in November when Seattle had lost five of six games on the road. … . (W)hile it’s easy to make road games seem like this franchise’s bogeyman, it’s not exactly accurate after Seattle won at Chicago on Dec. 2 and beat Buffalo in Toronto two weeks later.”
LATEST NEWS
View from Seattle: Seahawks busting myths?
Seattle pass rusher Clemons out for playoffs
Falcons determined to have playoff breakthrough
Atlanta Falcons: Q&A with head coach Mike Smith
John Abraham set to return to practice on Wednesday
Playoff buzz: Falcons are 2 1/2 point favorites
Playoff matchup: Falcons’ special teams vs. Seahawks’ special teams
OTHER RECENT STORIES
Dirk Koetter to stay with the Falcons
Smith to ramp up bye-week practices
Smith expects Abraham, Robinson to be ready for playoff game
Falcons’ run defense to be tested in divisional playoff game
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
90 comments Add your comment
Malco
January 9th, 2013
11:55 am
tickets are way too expensive for this game—I’m hoping to find a couple for $10-$20 on the street before the game. If not, I’ll watch it in a sports bar somewhere.
Mike Lum
January 9th, 2013
11:59 am
Put a “spy” on Wilson and we’ll be fine. Lynch can’t win the game all by himself.
Rise Up Loud
January 9th, 2013
12:11 pm
There is 12th Man loud, but Russell Wilson has never heard Rise Up Loud. This game is a sellout and will be packed with loud and screaming Falcons fans that the rookie has never heard. The fans can actually play a HUGE role in this game. Let’s see how we can impact it. The team want this game bad, but the the fans want it even more. Get up Atlanta and “Rise Up Loud”
BigBillsFan
January 9th, 2013
12:11 pm
I take great exception to the statement about fan support and including Buffalo in that convo. Just had 56000 show up a couple weeks ago for a season finale that meant absolutely nothing, and the fan base and support for that team is there year in and year out. Falcons should be so lucky as to have rabid fans like that!
Loyalfalconfrmthemississippi
January 9th, 2013
12:28 pm
Hey guys i live in mississippi if you guys are willing to buy me a ticket and pay for gas ill come, i love my falcons i just dont make enough money to go.
Loyalfalconfrmthemississippi
January 9th, 2013
12:33 pm
@mike lum; agree bro gotta put a spy on wilson, if he is unable to scramble then he’ll be forced to pas or take the sack, we can take advantage of that passing offense!! Now stopping lynch is a whole nother story, our defensive line and linebackers have to step up. Idk why but i have a feeling kroy bierrmann is gonna be a huge impact player in this game. Just a gut feeling.
Interesting
January 9th, 2013
12:54 pm
This cant be right. I tried to buy 2 tickets a few hours after they went on sale and they were sold out. If there are “unsold” tickets on the secondary market, there is something odd going on in the falcons ticket office.
DawgNole
January 9th, 2013
1:02 pm
inkspot
January 9th, 2013
11:32 am
I blame the national media for the lack of a sell-out. The national media has spun the story of the Falcons irrelevance all season and the public has bought the story hook, line, and sinker. This Falcons team is 13-3.
___________________
What was the Falcons’ record just two years ago (2010 season)? 13-3.
Did they get a first-round bye? YES.
Did they have homefield advantage in the playoffs? YES.
Did they win their first playoff game. NO.
When is the last time the Falcons won a playoff game? 2004.
How many championships have the Falcons won during their entire 46-year existence? ZERO.
STOP blaming the media. WIN in the postseason, and the respect will come!
Interesting
January 9th, 2013
1:03 pm
What are you talking about big bills fan? The bills attendance hasnt been good in several years.
DawgNole
January 9th, 2013
1:07 pm
Kurtis
January 9th, 2013
11:37 am
You haters make me freaking sick. You’d think the Falcons were playing the ‘72 Dolphins with Joe Montana at quarterback instead of the extraordinarily ordinary Seahags.
________________
So Montana played for the ‘72 Dolphins? Hello?
DawgNole
January 9th, 2013
1:10 pm
Say what
January 9th, 2013
11:53 am
Try to keep up, DawgNole, it’s common for tics to be available.
___________________
Did I say it was uncommon? Absolutely not.
Say what? Try to shut your yap–that’s what.
Interesting
January 9th, 2013
1:10 pm
To his credit he didnt say Montana played for the ‘72 Dolphins.
johnny_falcon
January 9th, 2013
1:11 pm
I think this is our year to finally win a playoff game, but claims of wiping the field with anyone are silly.
We lost to aints (still mad they broke our undefeated streak), Bucs and Panthers. All had losing records. I’m just glad that we finally beat the aints, and hope we can reverse that trend of only winning 2 games in 13 against them. Haters want to say we beat them bc they only had 3 days to rest from a physical night game vs the 49ers, but win’s a win!
No more 1 and done for us! Rise up!
NoleRick
January 9th, 2013
1:20 pm
Are people really this dumb? The tix are already sold, people ALWAYS put tix on stubhub etc to see if they can double their money. If you cant, you go to the game. Wow, its really pretty simple.
warfalcon
January 9th, 2013
1:43 pm
ONE GAME AT A TIME,NO MORE BAD GAMES,LETS GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
james
January 9th, 2013
1:47 pm
@Doit!
I went back to re-read my posts and at no point did I indicate the Falcons’ game was not a sell-out. Indeed all these tickets were purchased by someone initially. I was merely pointing out that 9,000 seats were available and this remains troubling from a fan support perspective. In a later post I pointed out that the number of available seats is comparable to the availability of tickets at Candlestick Park this Saturday night. One very important difference between the two games however is the fact that the Packers-49er’s game commands a significantly higher re-sale price. I find it disturbing that you would get so worked up over another poster pointing out mere facts – resorting to the odious “D” word. I wouldn’t want you living in my neighborhood or working in my building. But maybe you just don’t have a job to go to and/or you sit around in your underwear all day trying to call people out.
Kurtis
January 9th, 2013
1:57 pm
DawgNole, try to keep up please. I said that, meaning that everyone is bragging so much over the SeaPukes that surely they must be better than the only NFL team to ever go undefeated — the 1972 Miami Dolphins. And, on top of that, they’re gushing over a rookie quarterback like he’s the best quarterback of all time — which in my opinion was Joe Montana.
Jay
January 9th, 2013
2:31 pm
The only REASON there are 9000 tickets up for sale right now is ONLY because of these 3rd party companies buying ALL of the TICKETS that were up for sale to the general public in hopes of selling for double or even tipple the face value. Take it from a guy who could not get 4 tickets 10 minutes after they went on sale on ticketmaster.com. If they were not inflating prices this game would EASILY be sold out!!!!
Falcon Man
January 9th, 2013
2:41 pm
Cant wait for the game on Sunday !! We will see so many of you there !!!
Go Falcons !!!!!
Falcon James
January 9th, 2013
2:43 pm
With all the negative comments, seem like some fans have already doomed the Falcon before they even take the field. Personally, when the Falcon put the screws to the defending World Champions and sent the NO team back with egg on they face and bus, all my doubts about the Falcon went away. The Seahawk will have they hand full Sunday. I personally think the Falcon will run away with the game. The bad part is that the same people will on this blog making excuses about why the Seahawk lost.
SimpleDawg
January 9th, 2013
2:53 pm
To you dumb-dumbs talking about “can’t sell-out the Dome” and ticket sales……
The tickets are sold. Now they’re being resold on Ticketmaster. A $65 ticket through the ticket office was bought by a STH for $41. Some of the nose-bleed endzone seats sell for $34 as season tickets.
People sell their tickets to sell-out games to avoid the crowds and idiots, would maybe rather watch them at home, or like me, live out of town and can’t go to that many games.
If you want to go, buy a ticket…..otherwise, hush.
4DaBirds
January 9th, 2013
3:28 pm
People who say Atlanta is the worst sports town are probably not sports fans of any type. Instead they’re just rehashing something they heard between the commercial breaks on American Idol.
The game is sold out. You can buy tickets through a ticket broker if you like at higher fee than face value. Just like you can with any sporting event worth seeing. SO SHUT YOUR STUPID MOUTHS, and GO FALCONS! RTFU or GTFO!!!!!!!!!!
fear da falcons
January 9th, 2013
3:29 pm
MAYBE 9000 PEOPLE ARE OUT OF WORK!!! HAVE ANYONE THOUGHT BOUT THAT….
AND ITS NOT 9000 ITS 8600 BIG DIFFERENT
4DaBirds
January 9th, 2013
3:30 pm
That’s Rise The Phuck Up or Get the Phuck OUT!!!!!!
Wutehvah
January 9th, 2013
3:36 pm
Stupid article… There are tickets available for ANY sold-out event, if you got the $$
Deezy
January 9th, 2013
4:01 pm
Longtime Falcons fan. I don’t think you are any less of fan if you don’t have season tickets or don’t go to playoff games. I went to a couple of games this season. One game for free and another at a price I was comfortable for paying for admission. The media people are just doing their job trying to get people jacked up and create talk about support. The media don’t pay for their tickets to games so easy for them to talk about support when money not coming out their pocket to see games or events. The reality is most or some people are being a little wiser and particular with how they want to spend their money when it comes to entertainment to stay within their budget. In the past, I used to got 4 games a season the past couple years I had to cut back got more responsibilites than I had years ago financial situations for peoples are different. You can’t knock ticket holders for trying to make a buck or so to cover or try to offset what they pay out of their pocket for season tickets and concessions. I am a Falcons Fan but, a mature fan that have his priorities in order. Instead I am choosing to grill out and have some friends over to the house to catch the game.
alpharetta alice
January 9th, 2013
4:46 pm
Idk why but i have a feeling kroy bierrmann is gonna be a huge impact player in this game. Just a gut feeling.
============================
hey mississippi fan..that gut feeling of yours probably means you need to go to the bathroom…
DawgNole
January 9th, 2013
4:48 pm
Kurtis
January 9th, 2013
1:57 pm
DawgNole, try to keep up please. I said that, meaning that everyone is bragging so much over the SeaPukes that surely they must be better than the only NFL team to ever go undefeated — the 1972 Miami Dolphins. And, on top of that, they’re gushing over a rookie quarterback like he’s the best quarterback of all time — which in my opinion was Joe Montana.
_____________________
Doesn’t change the fact that what you said made no sense. Obviously, the ‘72 Dolphins didn’t need Montana since they went undefeated w/o him.
Try to make sense please.
alpharetta alice
January 9th, 2013
4:49 pm
With the exception of MJ’s Chicago Bulls. rocking red and black uniforms generally identifies your team as losers. See Falcons and UGA for examples of this theory.
KnightInATL
January 9th, 2013
5:37 pm
Crazy to see that nearly all the tickets available on StubHub are actually going for less than face value right now.
Stacey
January 9th, 2013
5:42 pm
What’s Taking place i’m new to this, I stumbled upon this I have found It positively helpful and it has helped me out loads. I hope to contribute & assist different users like its helped me. Great job.
Go Deep
January 9th, 2013
6:14 pm
Its Gravy time Boys – from here on out its just Icing on the Cake!!! º¿º
Easy as Pie
Matty is better than MIKE
January 9th, 2013
9:17 pm
YEAH THE REDSKINS only TD in the first half in their own stadium was a Matt Ryan int by ryan Kerrigan……we shut them out…in th 1st.
If you peoplpe dont see whats goin on here….MAtt Ryan is the best QB the FALCONS ever had!!!!!!!!!!!!
RISE UP!!!!!!!!!!!
Matty is better than MIKE
January 9th, 2013
9:19 pm
I bought a ticket……and they repoed my car…..Ill just THIS IS MARTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
pricedeal
January 10th, 2013
12:53 am
when ticket prices come down to $20, I’ll buy a few.
Brandy
January 10th, 2013
1:23 am
Thankfulness to my father who informed me regarding this web site, this website is in fact amazing.
Dean
January 10th, 2013
7:29 am
Hey There. I found your weblog using msn. That is a really neatly written article. I’ll make sure to bookmark it and come back to learn more of your useful information. Thanks for the post. I’ll certainly comeback.
Austin
January 10th, 2013
5:33 pm
Usually I don’t read article on blogs, however I would like to say that this write-up very pressured me to try and do so! Your writing style has been surprised me. Thank you, quite nice post.
DEREK
January 11th, 2013
10:56 am
Just checked ticketmaster… While there are few tickets left.. It is NOT sold out.. The bigger point is this team has proven they can win in the regular season for consistent yrs now.. Its simple… Win or go home…They can shut everybody up by winning this Sunday (including me).. I would like to see them win… But the track record speaks for itself… Any given Sunday….
Rock out with your hawk out
January 12th, 2013
12:04 pm
GO HAWKS!!!!!