Week six in the NFL was one of the most backward weeks, at least statistically speaking. Long thought to be dead, running back Brandon Jacobs came back to life with the New York Giants, rushing for over 100 yards and two touchdowns. But the craziness of week six didn’t stop there.
Little known players were dominant forces in big wins and competitive outings. Thad Lewis came out out of nowhere (Buffalo’s practice squad, actually) to score three touchdowns and force overtime. Backup tight end Joseph Fauria scored three touchdowns to help the Detroit Lions to a win. And in a week that saw Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Andrew Luck, Tony Romo, Philip Rivers and Aaron Rodgers combine for just six touchdowns, the likes of Nick Foles and Mike Glennon combined for just as many in the very same game.
And that was week six. Needless to say, the 2013 NFL season is gaining momentum. And while it’s not always necessarily as we planned it, it’s still at least extremely entertaining. But what games will yield that kind of excitement this week? Let’s take a look ahead to this week’s top-four priced games to find out:
1. Denver Broncos @ Indianapolis Colts | Avg: $311 | Get-in: $139
Peyton Manning returns to his old stomping grounds for the first time as a non-Colt this week, which in of itself is a perfectly good reason for Colts tickets to see an insane 88% jump in week seven. Broncos tickets are up 11%, as well, but have been going like hotcakes all year, regardless, and an exciting duel between The Sheriff and the student (Andrew Luck) is going to be the talk of the town – if not the entire NFL. The 6-0 Broncos probably have the edge here as talent and emotion appears to be on their side, but what figures to be a classic shootout is likely going to go down to the wire.
2. Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles | Avg: $309 | Get-in: $92
Foles has Philly red-hot with two straight wins thanks to two stellar performances the past two weeks. Whether or not he can do it again this week against a Dallas defense that has been solid at times will be the key, while Romo and co. could have a field day against the Eagles’ soft defense, despite being forced to hit the field without star running back, DeMarco Murray.
3. New England Patriots @ New York Jets | Avg: $229 | Get-in: $79
Last time these two teams met, Geno Smith threw three picks and the Jets couldn’t take advantage of an under-manned and under-performing New England offense. Now the Pats come to town with a 5-1 record.
The fact that they probably don’t and the potential return of Rob Gronkowski helps make this an interesting one for Patriots fans, while Patriots tickets in general are always highly sought after. The allure of another Rex Ryan/Bill Belichick battle of wits is the cherry on top of what is easily one of the best games of week seven.
4. Cleveland Browns @ Green Bay Packers | Avg: $197 | Get-in: $100
Brandon Weeden brings his back-handed interception ways into Lambeau Field, where the Packers are 2-0 on the year. Green Bay’s solid 3-2 record after two rough road losses helps keep Packers tickets flying off the shelves, but this is one of their better values due to the Browns being a weaker opponent. Green Bay tickets are down 26% in this one, but Cleveland is actually better than they look. They’re 3-3 on the year and bring a stout run defense to the table. That shouldn’t be a problem for Green Bay running back Eddie Lacy, though, as he just got done crushing a good Baltimore Ravens defense in week six.
On the flip-side, Browns tickets are understandably up 27% in price this week, as it’s never an easy task to land Packers tickets at home and Cleveland is actually not a bad team this year. While the likes of Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron will help make it watchable, the Browns will still have a difficult time pulling off the road upset.