DETROIT (WXYZ) — The Detroit Lions are preparing for their first road playoff game of the season, heading to San Francisco to take on the 49ers in the NFC Championship, and some Lions fans are going there too.
"Now that we've got the division and won two playoff games, I can't put into words what it means for the city and myself as a fan,” Lions fan Mike Borders said.
As a lifelong fan, Borders finally bought season tickets three years ago after the hiring of general nanager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell. Borders had confidence the two would build a competitive team and as the playoffs began, he was confident they would be in the NFC Championship.
“It was probably early last week I was thinking about it and the scenarios and different outcomes,” Borders said. “I wanted to be there. As the momentum built through the season too, the more games I kept going to, I was like 'I want to keep this going.'”
While still hoping for a home game, Borders decided last week he would book his trip to San Francisco and buy one ticket for the NFC Championship. Everything was all set before he even stepped into Ford Field on Sunday.
While borders booked his flight early, prices can be high.
"The best fares we're finding range from about $800 to $1,000," David Fishman of Cadillac Travel Group said. "Those are on connections. There's very few non-stop flights left.”
Fishman says between San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose, there’s multiple airports to choose from. He recommends travel insurance but says there are still plenty of hotels available.
“If you want to go out and just stay at a Best Western or a Hampton or something like that, you can see rates in the $160, $180 to $250 a night, so the rates on hotels are great,” Fishman said.
Depending on where you sit, the ticket to the game itself might be the most expensive piece of this trip. The cheapest seat on Ticketmaster was in the upper level for around $665 after fees. Depending on seat location, mid-field in the lower bowl could cost nearly $1,500. Endzones were mostly going for over $800. The most expensive tickets were priced at over $10,000.
"You can even get tickets in the 200 to 300 level, which is lower level around the 35-, 40-yard line for around $1,200 to $1,500, which is pretty cheap considering if you wanted to go the Super Bowl right now and you're a Lions fan — it would cost you $10,000,” Fishman said.
As for Borders, he will be wearing his Honolulu blue Jared Goff jersey in San Francisco just like he did in Dallas, New Orleans and Kansas City, hoping to see lots of blue in what will likely be a sea of red.
“With the way the fans have traveled this year, I'm hoping quite a bit,” Borders said of Lions fans. "Going into Arrowhead (Kansas City) with the banner raising and you have 1/4 Lions fans, its something special.”
