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What Ticket Demand Says About the NFL Playoff Picture
The NFL season enters its third month this week! While that may be hard to believe, we’re nearing the season’s halfway point, and every week the postseason picture gets more and more interesting. The parity in this year’s NFL is apparent and has made for entertaining games week after week. Which teams helped themselves the most in the hunt for the playoffs this week? Here’s a look at what did (and didn’t) move the needle in Week 8, using insights from SI Tickets’ postseason reservations.
The Legend of Heinicke Grows
It’s not always pretty when Taylor Heinicke is under center. In fact, it rarely is. But the Commanders’ QB always seems to find a way to make big plays when it matters most, and this past weekend’s game against the Colts was no different. Stymied most of the game by a stingy Indianapolis defense, Heinicke led a pair of scoring drives in the fourth quarter to help Washington escape with a third straight win. That included an 89-yard game-winning drive in the closing seconds aided by an outstanding catch near the goal line by Terry McLaurin. In all, Heinicke completed 23 of his 31 passes for 279 yards and a touchdown before sneaking in on the ground for the game-winning TD.
The NFC East’s strength has been one of the major stories of the season, and Washington still sits in last place through eight games. But getting back to .500 at least gives the Commanders some life in the playoff chase, with a pair of massive games looming against the Vikings and Eagles in consecutive weeks. Surviving on the road in Indianapolis led to a 51% rise in ticket reservation prices on SI Tickets to see the Commanders in the divisional round.
More Mayhem in the NFC South
It’s clear at this point that there is no great team in the NFC South. There may not even be an above-average team in a division that has, to date, been defined by mediocrity. That said, it’s hard to deny this division race has been entertaining. The latest twists in Week 8 included an absolute thriller between the Panthers and Falcons, a blowout win for the Saints and yet another loss for Tom Brady and the Bucs.
The Falcons may not have deserved to win Sunday, but Atlanta is now the division’s only team at .500 or better after Eddy Pineiro’s two missed kicks spoiled a Carolina comeback. The Panthers sit in last at 2–6, but have shown new life since P.J. Walker took over at QB and shouldn’t be counted out. Betting against Brady would seemingly be a mistake, regardless of how Tampa Bay has looked lately. And then there’s New Orleans, which got three touchdowns from Alvin Kamara in a resurgent performance Sunday against the Raiders.
The postseason ticket reservation prices on SI Tickets make the Buccaneers the favorite, followed by the Saints, Falcons and Panthers. But Atlanta did make a big move after Sunday’s win, with Falcons divisional round prices skyrocketing by 36%. Even if the Bucs do find a way to win the division, their Super Bowl chances keep trending down, dropping another 30% this week.
Seahawks Continue to Emerge
Just how good is this Seahawks team? Pete Carroll and Geno Smith continue to defy the odds, leading Seattle to a victory over a surging Giants team Sunday for the squad’s third straight win. No team has been better late in games than the Giants, but Seattle outdueled them in the fourth quarter Sunday with a pair of late touchdowns in the 27–13 win to maintain its lead in the NFC West. And to make things all the more interesting, Seattle doesn’t play another team currently over .500 until a Christmas Eve tilt with the Chiefs.
Could the Seahawks actually be Super Bowl contenders? Their Super Bowl ticket reservation prices on SI Tickets rose another 106% after this week’s win and could keep rising if they continue to play this well. A big divisional matchup with Kyler Murray and the Cardinals looms Sunday, but Smith and rookie RB Kenneth Walker have given this offense plenty of life.
Titans’ Fifth Straight Win Bolsters Postseason Push
No Ryan Tannehill, no problem for the fast-rising Titans. Without its starting QB, Tennessee went with an even more ground-and-pound approach than usual, as Derrick Henry led the Titans to a fifth straight win in rookie Malik Willis’s first start at QB. In a division that doesn’t currently have another team over .500, Mike Vrabel’s Titans seem like they could run away with the AFC South and head to the playoffs for a fourth straight season.
Divisional round ticket reservation prices on SI Tickets jumped 36% after the Titans win, combined with the Colts’ loss to the Commanders and the Jaguars going down to the Broncos. Tennessee has swept its two meetings with Indianapolis and has a four-game lead in the loss column on Denver. With Henry still looking sharp in the backfield, it seems close to inevitable that we’ll see this team in the playoffs yet again.
Jets Miss a Major Opportunity
If this promising season for the Jets goes south, one moment from this past weekend’s matchup with the Patriots will be remembered as a potential turning point. Up 10–3 in the closing seconds of the first half, an 84-yard interception return for a touchdown that would have put New York up two scores was nullified by a roughing-the-passer penalty. New England went on to get three points before halftime, part of a stretch of 19 unanswered points that helped the Patriots escape with their 13th straight win over the Jets.
A win in that game would have put the Jets at 6–2. Instead, they sit at 5–3 heading into a matchup with the dominant Bills before their bye the following week. That’s why Jets divisional round ticket reservation prices on SI Tickets dropped by 20% in the aftermath of the loss. Robert Saleh’s club is still in good shape, but a missed chance to take down the Patriots and get to four games over .500 is one they’ll remember.
