NFL tickets went on sale this week, and one thing is clear: fans are ready to get back to stadiums this fall. Sales have been brisk since the tickets were initially made available on Wednesday following the league’s scheduling announcement, with most teams anticipating full houses as COVID attendance restrictions are rolled back throughout the country.

By far the No. 1 game on the year, in terms of early anticipation and sales, is the return of Tom Brady to Gillette Stadium, where he led the Patriots for a generation prior to departing to take over as QB for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before the 2020 season. Now, the signal-caller will lead the defending Super Bowl champions on his old turf on October 3. That game has seen a staggering price per ticket, averaging more than $2,000 according to data from the TicketNetwork exchange. That high premium isn’t just for sideline seats. Currently, the get-in price on TicketClub.com, which involves no service charges for members, is $1,325 for a 300-level seat near the end zone.

The defending champions play a role in three of the Top 20 best-selling games of the year, with their season-opening Thursday night game hosting the Dallas Cowboys coming in at No. 5 in total sales, and a home game against the Buffalo Bills in December at No. 16.

Overall, the Dallas Cowboys are the front-runner in terms of fan interest spread across both home and away contests. Dallas is playing in five of the top seven best-selling contests so far, and six of the Top 20. In terms of home field, the Las Vegas Raiders are coming in hot in 2021, with six of their home games among the Top 10 games fetching the highest average ticket price so far.

Notably, early-season games seem to be dominating the sales figures, potentially a factor of uncertainty regarding whether or not restrictions could come back as the fall bears down, given how COVID infections ramped up substantially in the fall of 2020. Of the Top 20 ranked by overall sales, half were in September, with only one December game (Bucs vs. Bills) making the rankings.

Top 20 Best-Selling 2021 NFL Games

Game Stadium Date
1 New England Patriots vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Gillette Stadium Sunday, October 3, 2021
2 Kansas City Chiefs vs. Dallas Cowboys Arrowhead Stadium Sunday, November 21, 2021
3 Dallas Cowboys vs. Las Vegas Raiders AT&T Stadium Thursday, November 25, 2021
4 Kansas City Chiefs vs. Cleveland Browns Arrowhead Stadium Sunday, September 12, 2021
5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Dallas Cowboys Raymond James Stadium Thursday, September 9, 2021
6 Los Angeles Chargers vs. Dallas Cowboys SoFi Stadium Sunday, September 19, 2021
7 Dallas Cowboys vs. Denver Broncos AT&T Stadium Sunday, November 7, 2021
8 Las Vegas Raiders vs. Miami Dolphins Allegiant Stadium Sunday, September 26, 2021
9 Buffalo Bills vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Highmark Stadium Sunday, September 12, 2021
10 Los Angeles Chargers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers SoFi Stadium Sunday, November 21, 2021
11 Las Vegas Raiders vs. Baltimore Ravens Allegiant Stadium Monday, September 13, 2021
12 Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles AT&T Stadium Monday, September 27, 2021
13 Los Angeles Rams vs. Chicago Bears SoFi Stadium Sunday, September 12, 2021
14 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Las Vegas Raiders Heinz Field Sunday, September 19, 2021
15 San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers Levi’s Stadium Sunday, September 26, 2021
16 Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Buffalo Bills Raymond James Stadium Sunday, December 12, 2021
17 Tennessee Titans vs. Kansas City Chiefs Nissan Stadium – Nashville Sunday, October 24, 2021
18 Tennessee Titans vs. Buffalo Bills Nissan Stadium – Nashville Monday, October 18, 2021
19 Los Angeles Chargers vs. Las Vegas Raiders SoFi Stadium Monday, October 4, 2021
20 Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills Arrowhead Stadium Sunday, October 10, 2021

Most Expensive Average Ticket Price

  1. Tampa Bay at New England ($2,263)
  2. Miami at Las Vegas ($907)
  3. Baltimore at Las Vegas ($883)
  4. Philadelphia at Las Vegas ($748)
  5. Kansas City at Las Vegas ($743)
  6. Cincinnati at Las Vegas ($729)
  7. Dallas at Philadelphia ($663)
  8. Chicago at Las Vegas ($659)
  9. Dallas at Tampa Bay ($601)
  10. Dallas at New England ($576)