On Sunday, the Green Bay Packers will host the Detroit Lions in Week 9, a matchup between two of the NFC’s top contenders. As the NFC North title race heats up, this will be the first meeting of the year between these division rivals, giving both teams an opportunity to get to know one another.
The fact that the Packers will be playing this crucial game at home helps, even though there are some injury concerns before start. And it turns out that, prior to Sunday, Detroit made an odd choice that further strengthened Green Bay’s home-field advantage.
The Packers declared on Thursday that there were only a few tickets left for this NFC North match at Lambeau Field. Why? In essence, the Lions chose not to have more Detroit fans there by returning part of their assigned tickets as the away team.
The current division champions’ move is very odd. Because of the boisterous number of ardent cheeseheads in the stands, Green Bay is regarded as one of the most difficult venues for visiting teams. Therefore, one obvious strategy to try to counteract the obvious home-field advantage is to pack the stadium with as many supporters of the road team as possible.
In addition to choosing not to have any Motor City delegates in the building, Detroit has also let Packers supporters to occupy those seats.
The Lions may not need the additional tickets because they are hoping that the near proximity will result in a healthier road showing from their supporters. However, an astute business would use all available measures to fill those seats.
As Green Bay considers the risk of losing starter Jordan Love to another injury, this is undoubtedly a fantastic break. This season, backup Malik Willis has done well in Love’s absence; however, Detroit is a different animal, so the rookie quarterback will benefit from even more home support in Week 9 if His phone has rang.
