It's surprising, but Sunday's NFC Divisional Playoff matchup between the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field is seeing the cheapest average ticket prices of all four conference games this weekend. Tickets to see the Giants try to exact some revenge over a Week 13 loss to the Packers are currently going for an average price of $272, $131 less than the average cost to see the New Orleans Saints take on the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park ($403). Forced to march into Lambeau riding a three-game losing streak, Eli Manning and the Giants nearly played spolier in December as the Packers looked to come away with their 18th consecutive victory. With 58 seconds remaining, it took an MPV effort from Aaron Rogers to drive the Packers within field goal range to ice the game.

So why the low ticket prices to see the rematch? Brokers are flooding the market trying to sell tickets which is lowering the overall market price. Right now there are just under 1000 active ticket listings for this game on SeatGeek, most of which are for multiple tickets. But are Packers' fans thinking a trip to the NFC Conference Championship game is a foregone conclusion? Or are New Yorkers not making the trip out west to Wisconsin for the same reasons?

Right now on SeatGeek, the "get in" price for the game is $165 for seats in Section 134 Row 47 while the priciest option available is a suite for $17,150.

Oddly enough, the Packers lead by a mile when looking at average ticket prices for the Conference Championship games the following week. If the Packers go on to beat the Giants on Sunday, ticket prices to see either the Saints or 49ers play in Green Bay are averaging $644. If the Giants go on to beat the Packers, average ticket prices are looking to be substantially lower to see Big Blue play in either San Francisco ($584) or New Orleans ($501).

Although both the Jets and Giants lost close matchups this weekend, ticket prices are trending up as they prepare to face off this weekend. The average price for Saturday's game is now $237.46, up about $5 from Friday. However, the average price for tickets sold through SeatGeek from Saturday to Monday is $266.52, indicating that prices are generally trending up as we near gameday.

Certainly from a week-over-week perspective, averages have also been on the rise. Tickets to the game were averaging $217 in the seven-day period ending Nov. 14, while within the last seven days, the average has stood at $280 - an increase of 29%.

This Saturday's game is likely to be the 6th most expensive NFL game ever at MetLife Stadium, and the most expensive Jets home game since the stadium opened last year. As of today, average ticket prices are the 3rd highest of any NFL game this weekend, trailing only the Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers ($240.52) and Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints ($266.83).

Right now on SeatGeek, the cheapest seat to get into the building is a $192 ticket in Section 329, Row 15, while the most expensive listing is for a pair of tickets in Section 106, Row 17 for $5506 a pop. Tickets in the 100 Level are averaging $326.04, while seats in the 200 and 300 levels are fetching an average of 292.04 and 172.88, respectively.

As high as prices are for Jets-Giants, we've actually seen more activity for the Giants season finale against the Dallas Cowboys on Jan. 1, 2012. The average price for that game is currently running at $250 and is sharply trending upward, as you can see in this graph:

If the Giants can't get past the Jets this weekend and the Cowboys win, then we expect the market for this Dallas game to collapse. But it's interesting to see this game so hotly demanded when this weekend's matchup is the one that very well may determine the Giants' playoff fate.

If you were hoping for a last minute score in your 2011 celebrity death pool, sorry to disappoint. Reports yesterday that unequivocal rock god Jon Bon Jovi had passed away seem to be little more than internet rumor. To further put the chatter to bed Jovi even tweeted a picture of himself holding a card that read, "Heaven looks looks a lot like New Jersey." I sure hope not. He even dated it Dec. 19, 2011 6:00 PM, decreeing proof of life as the internet's lastest captive.

He, or someone who very much looks like him, also performed a two-hour benefit last night at his Hope Concert at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey. According to the Star-Ledger, Jovi "referred to the hoax several times, and even pantomimed taking phone calls from concerned friends checking to see if he was still alive. He even felt the need to rehash the old Mark Twain quip about how the reports of his death had been exaggerated."

A blog know as 'dailynewbloginternational' seems to have been the origin of the phony report after it borrowed sentences from a 2009 LA Times article regarding the death of Pop legend Michael Jackson. I'm not sure if Jon Bon Jovi is capable of dying, but I'm pretty sure a WordPress blog won't be breaking that news.

Despite the lack of buzz surrounding Jon Jones' light-heavyweight title defense to Lyoto Machida this weekend, UFC 140: 'Jones vs. Machida' is, in fact, happening Saturday night. This fight isn't generating the sort of buzz would one expect from such a dynamic, talented young champion, so what's the problem? Is it an instance of a card simply being under-promoted? Or is this becoming a trend for Jones?

Tickets for UFC 140 are averaging at $210, about the going rate for a non-title headlined UFC fight card. Despite the average to low numbers, these prices are actually an improvement over his last fight at UFC 135 ($190) against Rampage Jackson. The highest average ticket prices involving the three actually came at UFC 123 when Jackson and Machida squared off for the right to face Jones for the title. Jackson went on to score a win over Machida via split decision. Now that Jackson has tried and failed, it's Machida's turn at the phenom.

UFC Average Ticket Prices

Tickets for UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida are still available on SeatGeek, with listings ranging from upper deck seats for $94 to floor seats selling for $1700.