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Bills/Patriots tickets fetching premium prices online

Lian Bunny/WBFO News

The Bills are a hot ticket and perhaps no game this season is hotter than this Sunday's home game against the division rival New England Patriots. This Bills/Patriots game at Ralph Wilson Stadium is being called the "game of the week" by many NFL observers. Both teams are coming off Week 1 wins and there is a sense of optimism around the Rex Ryan-coached Bills. 

The game is sold out, so many fans are turning to secondary websites to try to score tickets. Those who do so may be in for some sticker shock. The average resale price is $143, making it the most expensive home Bills game in many years. Premium sideline seats are being listed in the $500 range. 

Chris Leyden, who analyzes secondary markets for the ticket aggregating website SeatGeek, says the level of buzz around the team is leading to high demand.

"It's crazy to think that the cheapest tickets you can buy for this week's Bills game, you're still going to have to spend more than $100. That's just what the demand is. Fans are really excited," says Leyden.

Leyden says overall, the open market for Bills tickets is up 21 percent from last year. He says excitement around the team, including some high-profile offseason additions, and the record number of season tickets sold this season are contributing to the spike.

"The Bills have been an extremely hot ticket relative to the past few years. At this point a year ago, the average resale price for a Bills ticket on the secondary markets for their home games was $101. This year, it's up to $122, which is a 21% increase," says Leyden.

"This week's game against the Patriots is the highlight of the season in terms of ticket sales. It's the most expensive home game for the Bills in at least the last five years."

Roughly one-in-five fans looking for seats for Sunday's game are coming from the New England area, according to Leyden.

Sunday's game is attracting a lot of national attention. ESPN will be broadcasting its Sportscenter program live from The Ralph Sunday morning and Guinness World Records has been summoned as fans try to set the record for crowd noise. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.

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