NFL shares ticket sales figure for potential neutral-site game

Nov 10, 2022; Munich, Germany; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reacts during an NFL Flag Football community event at the FC Bayern Campus. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL has been making preparations for a potential neutral-site AFC Championship Game between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs, and it would appear there are plenty of fans of each team who are willing to travel to the game.

Tickets for the possible game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta became available to Bills and Chiefs season ticket holders on Wednesday. In a press release on Friday, the NFL announced that more than 50,000 tickets were sold to the two fan bases in the first 24 hours.

The statement said season ticket holders will continue to have priority access, though there could be an opportunity for the general public to purchase tickets if they don’t sell out.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon this week ripped the NFL for selling tickets to the potential neutral-site game without knowing if the Chiefs and Bills will advance to the AFC Championship. However, the situation is not much different from a team selling tickets to a postseason game before clinching a spot.

One theory is that the NFL could be moving toward holding conference championship games at neutral sites in the future, which would essentially turn them into mini Super Bowls. The fact that the league put out a press release bragging about selling 50,000 tickets in 24 hours only lends credence to that theory.