About NFL Tickets

5/23/13: Most NFL teams are holding their Offseason Training Activities (OTA's) this week, so it is always a good time to see who is not showing up, who is hurt, and who is getting cut unexpectedly. The workouts are technically voluntary, but everyone knows they are essentially mandatory. When someone does not show up, it is often a message to the team that he is not happy. It also gives the competition more opportunity to impress the coaching staff. For example, Willis McGahee has not reported to Broncos' OTAs. His agent says it is nothing, but it gives more reps to draft pick Monte Ball.

5/16/13: The NFL is starting to get in the business of business. Teams are signing their draft choices. Many have had their rookie mini-camps. And the season looks like it will start on time. Next up for the league is the annual Rookie Symposium or orientation. This is meant to be a few days for the new guys to learn the important off-field lessons that come with life in the NFL. The league is again hosting in Northeast Ohio, which gives the rookies a chance to visit the Browns' facility as well as the Pro Football Hall of Fame in nearby Canton.

5/9/13: Now that the dust has settled from both free agency, the draft, and teams have signed their undrafted rookies, we can finally get a glimpse into what teams will look like come fall. Playoff teams like Seattle, San Francisco, Green Bay, and Atlanta look strong. As do the Patriots, Broncos, Colts, and Texans. Remember, though every year about half of the previous season's playoff teams do not make the postseason. Teams like St. Louis, Tampa Bay and New Orleans may be ready to get back to the playoffs, as all have upgraded significantly during this offseason.

5/2/13: The NFL held their annual draft last Thursday through Saturday, so fans around the country got together and discussed how good or bad their team's draft was. NFL 'experts' immediately gave good or poor grades to every team, but the reality is that there are no answers yet. It will take several years for the results to be in. Some exciting moves were the Rams moving up to take Tavon Austin - the dynamic wide receiver out of West Virginia, as well as the top ranked QB, Geno Smith also of West Virginia, falling completely out of the first round and ending up with the Jets.

4/25/13: It is time for the NFL Draft once again – the time of year where Mel Kiper and Todd McShay are the most sought after personalities in the world. It is also the time when teams can determine their fate for the next several years by selecting well (like the Ravens and Patriots in most years) or choosing poorly (Raiders and Rams come to mind). It looks like Kansas City will keep their first overall pick, and will probably select a left tackle. The word about this draft is that it lacks star power at the skill positions – that means that there no surefire stars at QB or wide receiver, and no one wants to spend a high pick on a running back.

4/18/13: The NFL is set to release schedules for the 2013 season. We know that Baltimore will be the first team since 2004 to win the Super Bowl and not host the opening game of the season. There is a scheduling conflict with the Baltimore Orioles baseball team as well as holiday issues for opening week. Don't feel to bad for the Ravens though, it is not like they would have intentionally lost the Super Bowl if they knew they could not host the opening game of the season. Teams have known for years who they would play, but the schedule is a chance for fans to plan their trips around the actual dates and opponents for the first time.

4/11/13: This is the quiet time in the NFL - at least from a fan's perspective. The big free agent signings have been completed and the draft is still another few weeks away. The biggest story about the draft is that there are no big stars at the skill positions that teams must have. There are a lot of offensive tackles and defensive linemen, but no big name quarterbacks, receivers, or running backs. In fact, the best running back, Alabama's Eddie Lacy, may not go on the first day. Teams are more content to run by committee and do not want to guarantee big money to what has become a plug and play position (thanks, Mike Shanahan).

4/4/13: The NFL was gracious enough this past week to not make any headlines that may distract the rest of the nation from the NCAA basketball tournament or opening day in Major League Baseball. All in all, it has been pretty quiet. The majority of teams have their offseason shopping complete and are focusing on the draft. The second tier of quarterbacks are starting to move, with Matt Flynn going to the Raiders from the Seahawks and Kevin Kolb signing with the Buffalo Bills. There has been no trade movement at the top of the draft, but that is expected to change as we get nearer to the to draft.

3/28/13: Even with the NCAA Basketball Tournament and the Florida Swing on the PGA and Easter right around the corner, the NFL still knows how to stay in the spotlight. The league abolished the controversial Tuck Rule, making the forward (incomplete) pass a fumble. It's only 12 years too late for Oakland. But the bigger news is that the league enacted the Crown Rule, whereby runners carrying the football cannot lower their head and use the crown of the helmet like a battering ram. Many running backs claim that this is a natural defensive position when they are about to get hit and will ruin the running game. But before everyone gets up in arms about it, let's see how it will be called first.

3/21/13: A week into free agency and NFL teams throughout the country are reshaping their rosters. Week one winners, crowned by the media are Kansas City and Miami, while Baltimore is considered a big loser for failing to retain several key members of their Super Bowl winning defense. However, maybe Ozzie Newsome has some tricks up his sleeve, as he will rebuild through the draft and not with over priced free agents. With about a month left until the draft, the best teams are putting themselves into position to win continuously, while struggling franchises are trying to figure out how to keep a roster while under the salary cap.

3/14/13: The NFL legal tampering and free agency periods started this past week. As expected, there was a flurry of activity in the first few hours with some of the prize free agents signing elsewhere while some established veterans were released or traded. Wide receiver Mike Wallace is considered one of the top free agents at his position and quickly signed with the Miami Dolphins. Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, who just 15 months ago signed a large extension, was released. And Anquan Boldin was traded from the Ravens to the 49ers after he refused to take a pay cut. There will be more action over the next few weeks, but the first 24 hours of free agency is always the most interesting.

3/7/13: March 4th was the final day for teams to designate any franchise players. Not every team uses the franchise tag, but many due to keep a top player for another year, and avoid losing him to free agency. Franchise Tagged players earn the average of the top five paid players at their position. This year, the Cowboys have franchised linebacker Anthony Spencer for $10.6 million, while the Chiefs franchised left tackle Brandon Albert. Often, teams franchise a player and end up working out a long term deal to mitigate the immidiate salary cap hit and keep the player on the team for several years.

2/28/13: The NFL hosted the annual combine over the weekend, allowing 330 players from the NCAA ranks to be stripped, poked, prodded, and run like livestock for a bunch of middle aged executives. The two biggest stories are Notre Dame linebacker Manti Teo holding a press conference to (hopefully) put an end to the fake girlfriend discussions, and Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones having a a narrow spinal column. Jones may be the best player in the draft, but the concerns about his long-term neck and spinal health may deter teams from taking him in the top five.

2/21/13: With the playoffs over and a new champion crowned, it is time for the draftniks to come out of hiding for the next two months. The NFL will host their annual Combine in Indianapolis this week, with about 330 players from the college ranks invited to the yearly cattle call. Matt Barkley, the USC quarterback, made news this week by announcing that he will not throw at the Combine. Though that is hardly newsworthy considering most top QB prospects wait until their pro-day to throw for scouts. The bigger news is that this is a very slim QB draft, so expect many teams to reach for QBs or go another direction, even if they need a franchise quarterback.

2/14/13: Free agency is still a month away, but that does not keep (bored) football journalists from speculating on where the big names will land. Here is a primer of some of the bigger names this offseason, though some of these names may change as teams may re-sign some of their pending free agents. Quarterbacks are in short supply, so teams may keep average incumbants because there are no great options: Joe Flacco is the big QB name, but he will probably re-sign with Baltimore. Wide receivers Mike Wallace, Wes Welker, Dwane Bowe, and Greg Jennings are possibilities, as is Reggie Bush and Paul Krueger.

2/7/13: The NFL season is finally over and the new league champions are, of course, the Baltimore Ravens. John Harbaugh led his team over his brother's San Francisco 49ers 34-31. Baltmore led 28-6 early in the third quarter until the lights in the Super Dome went out. After a 35 minute delay, San Francisco stormed back to make the game interesting, getting within range of winning the game after scoring on three consecutive drives. But the Ravens did just enough to hold off the rallying 49ers and claimed their second franchise championship. Joe Flacco had a tremendous playoff run, finishing with 11 touchdowns and no interceptions. He was named the game MVP.

1/31/13: Well there is no question of what is the biggest thing going on in the NFL this week. Obviously it's the Pro Bowl. Once again many of the starters have found injuries and will not be playing. In any case, the Super Bowl is only a week away. The Baltimore Ravens are a 4.5 point underdog to the San Francisco 49ers. The obvious story is that two brothers are coaching the teams: Jim Harbaugh for the 49ers and John Harbaugh for the Ravens. The fraternal rivalry has never happened before in the Super Bowl, leading many to call it the Harbaugh Bowl. In any case, Saints fans are delighted that San Francisco beat the Falcons in the NFC Championship Game, because they did not want their arch rivals to play for the title on their turf.

1/24/17: The Super Bowl matchup is set, with brothers Jim and John Harbaugh leading their respective teams to the championship game. In the NFC, the Atlanta Falcons built up a 17 point lead and 10 at halftime before the 49ers came back to win 28-24. Baltimore may be the only AFC team that is not scared of going into New England. They started the game as 8 point underdogs, but pressured the Pats into turnovers and a one dimensional offense. The Ravens scored 21 unanswered points in the second half, winning 28-13. The early line has the 49ers favored by 4.5 points.

1/17/13: The Divisional Round of the playoffs is in the books so the matchups for the NFC and AFC title games are set. In the NFC, No.1 Atlanta finally won a playoff game and will host No. 2 San Francisco in a matchup between a dynamic offense against a stout defense. The AFC game is a repeat of last year: No. 2 New England will host No. 4 Baltimore. The Patriots won last year when Lee Evans let a sure touchdown slip through his hands. The winners of the games will earn the right to represent their respective conferences in the Super Bowl in New Orleans on February 4.

1/10/13: The NFL playoffs finished the Wild Card Round with Division winners knocking out all of the Wild Card teams with the exception of Seattle. The Seahawks beat Washington (playing with an injured RGIII before he was too hurt to continue) and will visit Atlanta. Green Bay knocked off a Christian Ponder-less Vikings team, and will go to San Francisco. In the AFC, Houston eliminated Cincinnati and faces the Patriots in New England, while Baltimore handled Indianapolis to move on to Denver in the Divisional Round. The winners of this weekends games will continue to play in Conference Championship games.

1/3/13: The day following the last game of the season is typically the firing day for NFL head coaches. It was more of the same this year as seven head coaches and five general managers lost their jobs. Some were expected, such as Norv Turner of the Chargers, Andy Reid of the Eagles, and Chan Gailey of the Bills. But others, particularly Lovie Smith from the Bears, were surprising. The GMs were more unusual. Only four GMs have been fired in the past three years, so this was a departure from the norm for owners. The biggest name to go was Mike Tannenbaum of the Jets, who was joined by A. J. Smith, and possibly Scott Pioli.

12/27/12: Heading into the final week of the season, most of the playoff spots and positions have been decided, though there are stil some questions to be answered. Washington holds the edge over Dallas for the NFC East crown, and will play this week. Both Seattle and San Francisco clinched playoffs spots, but the division champion has not been decided. Baltimore secured the AFC North, while Cincinnati has earned the 6th playoff spot. The Giants are officially out of the playoffs, as their late season slide doomed the team. Finally, the Minnesota Vikings remain alive and well, countering every expert pick in the preseason.

12/20/12: Week 15 drew to a close with the playoff picture coming into focus a little more. Houston secured the AFC South crown by beating Indianapolis and Andrew Luck. Meanwhile, the Green Bay Packers again won the NFC North by downing their arch rival, the Chicago Bears, 21-13. San Francisco will represent the NFC West after earning a win in New England. The NFC East is still up for grabs with New York, Washington, and Dallas all in the mix. With the start of the Bowl season, there will be no more Thursday Night games, but there will be some Saturday matchups as we head into the final stretch.

12/13/12: In a stunning turnaround, former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue nullified all the suspensions for the four New Orleans Saints players named in the Bountygate scandal. Tagliabue was asked by current NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to oversee the appeals after calls against Goodell's impartiality were called into question. Tagliabue's decision closes the case against the players as far as the league is concerned, though Johnathan Vilma still plans on suing for defamation. No word yet on former Saints Defensive Coordinator Greg Williams, who is suspended indefinitely. Williams was supposed to be the DC for the St. Louis Rams this season, but was suspended long before doing any work with the team.

12/6/12: The NFL regular season moves into week 14 and the playoff picture is getting clearer. In the AFC, the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos have clinched the East and West divisions, respectively. Meanwhile, the Houston Texans are assured of a playoff spot and on the verge of sealing the AFC South. Over in the NFC, the Atlanta Falcons will be the South Champions, though the other divisions are still up for grabs. Green Bay and Chicago are tied at 8-4 in the North, in a battle that may come down to the final week to decide.

Recap 12/1/2012: The league took a slightly different flavor this week, with a triple slate of Thanksgiving games to help break up routine. First up, the Texans prevailed over the Lions in an overtime thriller. The game probably would not have even reached overtime if Lions coach Jim Schwartz didn't errantly throw a challenge flag on Justin Forsett's 81 yard TD run, a move that made the play unchallengeable. Next, Robert Griffin III of the Redskins smoked the Cowboys with yet another commanding performance, tossing for over 300 yards and 4 touchdown passes. As for the closing game of the night with the Patriots against the Jets, the less said about it the better for New Yorkers. The Patriots scored 35 points in the second quarter to rout the Jets 49-19 by the time it was all over.

In other games, the Giants crushed the Packers 38-10, a move that righted the ship and put them in prime position in the NFC East. The 49ers slowed down the surging Saints with a clean 31-21 win. Jay Cutler returned to the Bears to spark them to a 28-10 win over the Vikings. Over in the AFC, Andrew Luck continues to be a leader for the surprising Colts, who look to be playoff bound with a narrow win over the Bills. Their record now improves to 7-4. The Browns defeated a depleted Steelers squad by forcing 8 turnovers in a 20-14 win. Finally in the Monday night game, Cam Newton added to the Eagle's perils by piling on 4 touchdowns to lead the Panthers to victory.

Recap 11/24/2012: In the Monday Night game of the week, the 49ers faced offer against the Bears at Candlestick Park. Both teams were without their starting quarterbacks. However Jason Campbell struggled to muster up any offense in the absence of Jay Cutler. Colin Kaepernick however, shined and might have won himself a starting position.

The Ravens beat the Steelers 13-10 in a hard fought battle that gave Baltimore a firm hold on the lead in the AFC North. It what was predictably a defensive battle, the Raven's took advantage of a depleted Steelers squad and pulled off the close win. Meanwhile out in Denver, the Broncos have probably the most secure hold of any division, as they beat the Chargers 30-23 and now hold a lead of three games in the division. It would take an epic collapse for Denver to not win the division.

There were some nail-biters in the lot, namely the class of the NFL Houston Texans, who had to stage a comeback against the lowly Jaguars to squeak out a win on overtime. The Texans were down by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and ultimately pulled off the victory on an Andre Johnson 48 yard touchdown reception.

In the always entertaining NFC East, no teams really succeed to distinguish themselves. Dallas needed overtime to beat a 2-7 Cleveland Browns squad. The Redskins beat the reeling Eagles but that only moved them to 4-6. Robert Griffin III had almost a perfect game, completing 14 of 15 passes to go along with 4 touchdowns.

Recap 11/17/2012: In the headline game of the week, the Texans and the Bears squared off in Sunday Night Football. With both teams heading their respective conferences with matching 7-1 records, some were whispering the possibilities that this could be a Super Bowl preview. While that may be thinking too far ahead, there was no doubt this was a clash of powers. The game proved to be a defensive, or sloppy, battle, depending how you look at it. At the end of the day, the Texans won the game 13-6, further strengthening their hold on the AFC. As for the Bears, they fall to 7-2 with the Packers nipping at their heels.

In odd news of the week, the 49ers and the Rams played to the first tie in the NFL since 2008. The 49ers did well to get the tie actually, as they were facing a big deficit for most of the game and relied on a field goal by David Akers in the waning seconds to even push the game into overtime.

In other games, the Steelers narrowly squeaked by the Chiefs in Monday Night Football in overtime, however QB Ben Roethlisberger was knocked out of the game and for at least a few games with both shoulder and rib injuries. The Falcons fell out of the ranks of the undefeated, as the Saints upset them in a divisional showdown. The Saints sit at 4-5, so they still have time to make a surge despite their disastrous start to the season. The Cowboys might have put the final nail in the Eagle's dreadful season, blowing the game open with 21 fourth quarter points. The Eagles also might have lost QB Michael Vick for the reason of the season, as he suffered a significant concussion.

Recap 11/10/2012: Week 9 of the NFL season has not brought on any shockers, but was full of intrigue nonetheless.

Peyton Manning has solidified his MVP front-runner candidacy with a rally against the Bengals, ultimately leading the Broncos to a 31-23 win. Manning tossed three touchdown passes.

The Bear's once again showcased what might be one of the best defenses seen in years. The Bears scored two defense touchdowns en route to a 51-20 shellacking of the Titans in Nashville. Brian Urlacher scored on a 46 yard interception return in the first quarter which basically sealed the deal early. The Redskins lost a battle of 2012 and 2011 quarterback talents, as Cam Newton's Panthers took the Robert Griffin III led Redskins. Washington's season might be over, as even head coach Mike Shanahan might have conceded the season after the game.

In the week's marquee game, the Steelers beat the Giants in a closely contested game in the Meadowlands. Pittsburgh scored two uncontested fourth quarter touchdowns and quelled an attempted rally by Eli Manning to seal the deal. The Steelers move to 5-3 while the Giants fall to 6-3. In another big game, the Falcons are halfway towards their perfect season moving to 8-0 with a 13-19 victory over the Cowboys. While Dallas made a late run of it in the second half, Matt Ryan was largely able to out duel Tony Romo. For the Cowboys, they fall 3-5 in a season that is certainly in danger of falling apart. Finally, MVP of the week has to go to Tampa Bay RB Doug Martin, who racked up a whopping 251 yards on the ground again the sad sack Raiders.

Recap 11/1/2012: The theme of week eight in the NFL season was largely maintaining the status quo. There were few major surprises over the slate of games. The Falcons won 30-17 over the slumping Eagles, extending their record to a perfect 7-0 while the Eagles fell to 3-4. Speaking of NFC East disappointments, the Cowboys lost a thriller against the Giants, with a potential Dez Bryant touchdown catch in the waning seconds was overturned by the narrowest of margins. One last mention of disappointments is the brash New York Jets, after a full week of trash talk against division rival Dolphins, they got trashed 30-9 in a laugher. The Jets fall to 3-5 and murmurs of discontent are increasing in volume for both head coach Rex Ryan and QB Mark Sanchez.

The Patriots seem to be back in business as an AFC power with a 45-7 thrashing of the Rams at Wembley Stadium in London. A pair of prodigy quarterbacks had a hard go at it on Sunday. A series of Cam Newton mistakes sunk the Panthers at Soldier Field, a particularly painful result considering the Panthers were leading virtually all game. Over in Pittsburgh, Robert Griffin III had his first mediocre game in the NFL, compiling a 72.8 quarterback rating while never really getting the Redskin offense going.

In the Monday night game, the 49ers beat the Cardinals off the strength of a nearly-perfect game by Alex Smith, who completed 18 or 19 passes and tossed three touchdowns. The 49ers move to 6-2 in an increasingly crowded pack at the top of the NFC.

Recap 10/24/2012: Week seven was all about the cream of the crop of the NFL separating themselves from the rest of the pack. This week's marquee matchup in the AFC pitted the Ravens against the Texans in Houston, with both teams having a 5-1 record and looking for an inside track to the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The end result was as telling as the final score, as the Texans pushed the Ravens all over the field in a 43-13 rout.

The other attractive matchup was another tense AFC East showdown of the Patriots and the Jets. The Jets surprisingly held tough the entire game. However a Mark Sanchez fumble in overtime doomed the Jets, who dropped to 3-4 while the Patriots crawled over .500 to 4-3.

The most exciting game to take place during the week was in the NFC, where the Giants and the Redskins engaged in a nail-biter in the Meadowlands. Robert Griffin III again put on a spectacular show, including a TD pass in the last two minutes that gave the Redskins a late lead. However, Eli Manning showed the rookie how it's done, as Manning quickly struck back with a 77-yard touchdown pass to Victor Cruz that gave the home team the lead for good.

In other games, the Packers continue to right the ship and are now 4-3, and the Vikings continue to be the surprise of the NFL, extending their record to 5-2 with a win over the Cardinals.

Recap 10/18/2012: The Giants solidified their elite status with a dominant 26-3 win over the 49ers, a team many thought to be the class of the NFL. Meanwhile, the Seahawks rallied back against a two touchdown fourth-quarter deficit to shock the Patriots. Moving on to other NFC powers, the visiting Packers steamrolled the Texans 42-24 on the strength of six touchdown passes by Aaron Rodgers. This loss momentarily derails the Houston Super Bowl dream and also confirms that the Packers are indeed the title contenders they were last year.

The Ravens beat the Cowboys 31-29 in Baltimore as Dallas kicker Dan Bailey missed a 51-yard field goal in the waning seconds. Though the Ravens moved to 5-1, this loss was rather costly, as they lost CB Lardarius Webb to a torn ACL and franchise cornerstone LB Ray Lewis to torn triceps. At the age of 37, Lewis might have played his last game in the NFL. The Ravens head into next week with a possible playoff preview in a showdown with the Texans.

Any lingering questions about Peyton Manning's health could be safely put to rest after Monday night's showdown against the Chargers. After getting shut- out at halftime, the Broncos came back with five uncontested touchdowns in the second half. Manning led the comeback with three passing touchdowns, squaring Denver's record at 3-3. The Falcons remain the NFL's only undefeated team, though the Raiders gave more of a fight than many thought, as the Falcons once again squeezed out a tight victory on a last-second Matt Bryant field goal.

Recap 10/11/2012: Week five of the NFL season was one high on emotion. The Colt's head coach Chuck Pagano recently left the team to undergo treatment for leukemia. Playing the Packers, the Colts were determined to win one for Pagano but faced a stiff test in the Green Bay Packers. Facing a 21-3 deficit at halftime, Andrew Luck staged a comeback for the ages and led the Colts to a miraculous 30-27 win, evening the team's record at 2-2. Elsewhere, the disappointing Saints managed to win their first game of the season, with Drew Brees eclipsing Johnny Unitas' consecutive passing TD record in a close game against the Chargers.

Tom Brady and Peyton Manning had a rematch in Foxboro, with Manning donning a different uniform for the first time. It would be Brady's day however, as the Broncos squandered opportunity after opportunity in a losing effort.

Outside of those marquee names, it was a relatively quiet week. The Vikings, 49ers, and Bears all won in romps over inferior competition. The 49ers in particular unleashed a franchise-record 621 yards of offense against the Bills, in a 45-3 thrashing at Candlestick Park.

On Monday night, Mark Sanchez played another sloppy game against the Texans but the Jets managed to keep the game close in the fourth quarter. The Texans held on to win a one possession game; however it might have come at a cost, as star linebacker Brian Cushing is feared to be lost for the season after sustaining a knee injury, which would significantly derail the team's Super Bowl hopes.

Recap 10/2/2012: A sigh of relief could be heard across every stadium in the NFL as the real referees were back in business. With that mess out of the way, the focus of can now be shifted entirely on the action in the gridiron. The Cardinals, Texans, and Falcons remain the class of the NFL, all extending their records to a perfect 4-0. The Cardinals and Falcons in particular both survived last minute nail biters. Over in the AFC East, the Patriots rebounded from their first sub .500 record in over a decade by ringing up a whopping 52 points on the Bills. Staying in the division, the Jets lost in embarrassing fashion to the 49ers, getting shutout 34-0. Mark Sanchez played this third consecutive poor game. Tebow-time in NYC? Stay tuned.

The Packers might have saved their season with a narrow victory over the floundering Saints. The Packers survived a botch call and a missed late field goal to vault right back into contention after an early season panic. As for the Saints, they remain one of the top stories in the league as they continue to flounder in wake of bounty-gate. On the bright side, Drew Brees played a magnificent game and tied Johnny's Unitas' record with touchdown passes in 47 consecutive games. Speaking of quarterbacks, the RGIII show continues in the nation's capital as another masterful performance allowed the Redskins to squeeze out a narrow victory over the Buccaneers.

On Sunday, night the Eagles (finally) played a turnover-less game to win a critical NFC East game against the Giants. In the week's featured Monday night game, the Bears took advantage of a disastorous game by Tony Romo (5 INTs) to beat the Cowboys 34-18.

Recap 9/28/2012: Week three of the NFL season was one for the ages… for all the wrong reasons. In what turned out to be the final week of the great replacement referee debacle of 2012, they certainly saved their best for last. Yes, I am talking about the botched call at the end of the Monday night Packers-Seahawks tilt. The referees granted Golden Tate a 24 yard touchdown on a Hail Mary as time expired. This summed up the frustration of the replacement referees and no doubt played a huge role in the return of the real ones for week four.

Commentary on the referees aside, the game of the

week saw the Ravens capitalize on a Steelers loss and beat the Patriots 31-30 in a rematch of last year's AFC Championship game. The win furthered their lead in the early AFC North race. As for the rest of the league, the theme of the week seemed to be nail biters, as the Jets, Chiefs, and Dolphins all escaped with overtime wins. The Vikings also scored a big upset over the 49ers, a team many see as Super Bowl-bound.

The early season surprises solidified their stances, as the Cardinals controlled the Eagles from beginning to end to remain undefeated (first 3-0 start since 1974). The Falcons dominated the Chargers, joining the Texans and Cardinals to join the ranks of the undefeated. On the opposite end of the spectrum are the in-disarray Saints, who dropped to 0-3 on the season with a loss to the Chiefs.

NFL Ticket Demand for the 2011 Season

Here is a look at most expensive NFL tickets_9/6/2011_: New England Patriots $321.24, New Orleans Saints $240.85, Baltimore Ravens$226.50, Philadelphia Eagles $218.22 and Pittsburgh Steelers $215.04. 8/31/2011: New England Patriots $313.86, Dallas Cowboys $247.06, Pittsburgh Steelers $246.19 Chicago Bears, $239.26 and the Green Bay Packers $226.88 round out the top 5 most demanded NFL ticket prices in this week leading up to the NFL Season opener on Sept. 8 at Lambeau Field. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have the Cleveland Browns who have had an average resale ticket price of $86.41 over the last 7 days (as of 8/31/2011). 9/14/2011 1. Chicago Bears $244.64 2. New England Patriots $225.62 3. Green Bay Packers $208.37 4. New Orleans Saints $200.69 5. Dallas Cowboys $199.87, after week 1, the Bears have overtaken the Patriots as the most expensive ticket on the resale market. Read more about prices after week 1 here.

Now that 3 weeks have passed in the NFL season I wanted take another look at the highest priced tickets out there now that fans are getting a feel for the quality of their teams and the excitement of season openers is over. Here is the updated list of the top 5 most expensive NFL teams: 1. New England Patriots $238.69 2. Green Bay Packers $228.50 3. Houston Texans $227.53 4. Chicago Bears $211.58 5. Baltimore Ravens $198.07.

The most demanded matchups for Week 4 are Denver Broncos at Green Bay Packers ($255.29), Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Texans ($247.84) and New York Jets at Baltimore Ravens ($207.12). The least demanded game is Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns ($76.80).

NFL Player Stat Leaders

After week 1, there are many usual suspects leading, or close to the top, on the key stats for their respective positions. For example, Aaron Rodgers is second in passer rating, Terrell Suggs is leading in sacks with 3, Steve Smith is leading in receiving yards with 178 and Ed Reed is leading in interceptions with 2. In Week 1, Michael Vick was 9th in overall yardage with 97 rushing yards, and 2nd among the top 10 in terms of yards per carry at an impressive 8.8 yards. I hope your favorite player and/or fantasy starters are off to a great start to the season.

NFL Tickets – The Best of the Gridiron

Since its inception in 1920, the NFL has grown to be one of the most popular professional sports in the United States. Originally called the American Professional Football Association, the league changed its name to the National Football League in 1922. Today, NFL tickets are among the most expensive tickets for any professional sport in the United States. The NFL has grown to be so popular that it attracts more television viewers then baseball. Not only, is Super Bowl Sunday the biggest annual sporting event held in the United States, but also The Super Bowl itself is always among the highest- rated programs annually in the Nielsen ratings.

There is truly something special about the atmosphere in a football stadium that is unlike any other sports stadium&mdashor any other place for that matter &mdash in the world. The smell of beer, and hot dogs coupled with the grunts of the players on the gridiron and the roar of the fans reverberating through the stadium, creates a unique feeling that is synonymous only with football. Timeless rivalries such as the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. the Baltimore Ravens, and the New York Jets vs. the New England Patriots, make football tickets some of the most demanded tickets in the world. Whether you're looking for NFL preseason tickets, NFL regular season tickets, NFL playoff tickets, or even Super Bowl tickets, check out SeatGeek for all your NFL ticket needs.

NFL Tickets – The Rivalries

For those that are lucky enough to enjoy the NFL live, the experience provided is unmatched. With historic rivalries including the Dolphins-Jets, Bengals- Browns, 49ers-Rams, Packers-Vikings, Broncos-Raiders, Steelers-Browns, Giants- Eagles, Chiefs-Raiders, Bears-Packers, Cowboys-Redskins and more, the NFL delivers some of the most exciting action in sports on a consistent basis every Sunday.

Update - August 2011

With just days before the season opener, Michael Vick is once again the center of attention when it comes to NFL news. First, ESPN put out a controversial story "What if Michael Vick was white" Now this week, Vick has closed on a huge contract which is a six year deal worth $100 million including a roughly $40 million guarantee. Not so bad for a guy that was in jail not so long ago. Here's to hoping Plaxico Burress can have a similar turnaround both on-and-off the field.

Update - July 2011 - NFL Post-Lockout Free Agency

Possibly one of the most anticipated free agencies ever in NFL history, many teams have added key pieces of the puzzle to their success for the 2011-2012 season. Donavan McNabb has moved to the Minnesota Vikings and will be filling the shoes of Brett Favre (who isn't coming out of retirement). Reggie Bush will now be playing for the Miami Dolphins. Kevin Kolb who has been in the shadow of McNabb and Michael Vick is now on the Arizona Cardinals and is ready to show that his potential is true quarterback skill. Bill Belichick and Co. have done it again by signing veterans Chad Ochocinco and Albert Haynesworth. His coaching staff has a habit of signing aging vets and having them play as if they are in their prime. The New York Jets have resigned Santonio Holmes and are currently on the hunt for top free agent Nnamdi Asomugha. If the Jets can make a deal they will have assembled an Asomugha-Revis cornerback duo that could be considered the best ever. Look for this season to be full of surprises. The league power may shift, so look for teams like the Detroit Lions, the St. Louis Rams, and the Houston Texans to be relevant. Although they are young, they have the potential to make some giant leaps in the league this year and contend for division titles.

Update - July 2011 - The NFL Lockout Ends

After 135 days of ups and downs, uncertainty, and agonizing stalemate, the NFL Lockout has finally come to an end. Today, the NFL and the players voted to pass a labor agreement that has been months in the making. Only the plaintiffs' signatures remain, which is considered a formality.

With this clutch decision, the NFL managed to save the entire regular season, which will go on as scheduled. The only cancellation is the first preseason game between the Chicago Bears and St. Louis Rams, which was supposed to be played on August 7th.

Moving forward, the NFL will be chaos for the next few weeks as teams, coaches, and players scramble to get ready for the impending season start. Free agents will be eligible to be signed on Friday, and teams can start negotiating as early as 10am tomorrow morning. It's sure to be the craziest free agency period yet.

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NFL Ticket Prices

Ticket prices this season on the primary market, did not increase as much from 2010 NFL tickets as compared to previous seasons (2009 to 2010 saw a majority of the league raising prices).

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