The NFL Hot Tickets: Week 12

Turkey Day brings an interesting slate of games on Thursday, but, despite the three games being played while everyone is gorging themselves with tryptophan and carbs, the best games still reside later on in the Week 12 schedule. The NFL scheduling wizards have put two of the top teams in the Superdome on Monday night and have a shootout at Reliant Stadium between two of the pass happiest teams in the league.

New England Patriots (7-3) at New Orleans Saints (10-0) (Monday, 8:30 PM ET)

APTom Brady and the Pats have a Monday night date with the Saints.

This game is a must win for the Patriots not because they are in any real danger of losing control of the AFC East, but because after the fourth down debacle against the Colts two weeks ago. New England needs to prove that they can play with and beat one best teams in the league to prove to themselves and their fans that they are one of the upper echelon teams this season. The Saints get to keep chasing the perfect regular season record against the last football franchise to actually complete that very feat. Beating the Patriots would be a nice symbolic win that would pass on the torch New England lit in 2007.

Louisiana Superdome (1500 Sugar Bowl Drive, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112)

The Superdome was designed to be the Thunderdome of the NFL long before Mad Max and The Blaster battled in 1985. Finished in 1975, the stadium was built with the intention of playing home to a new football franchise and to be the largest fixed dome in the world. This massive engineering marvel succeeded on both counts, becoming the ninth wonder of the world with 72,968 seats dispersed among six levels of seating and playing home to the Saints (as well as the Sugar Bowl and multiple Super Bowls) for the past 34 years.

This massive structure is supported with 20,000 tons of steel and billows up like a permanent mushroom cloud. The dome has its detractors who criticize the rather mundane exterior, but once they enter it is hard to argue that the Superdome is not an amazing stadium. Every seat in the venue has a great view of the field below and every voice can be heard. In fact, that resonating effect that make a scream from the sixth level just as loud as a howl from the first level is the same effect that this so tough a stadium to play in as a visiting team.

Structural deficiencies were exposed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but since the storm ravaged the city, $185 million have been spent repairing the dome and $320 have been spent adding windows to allow natural light to filter into the stadium, re-sheathing the exterior with aluminum panels and repaint the exterior for a much-needed face lift, and modernizing the walkways and club seating to meet the standards of a modern NFL stadium.

The Superdome is enjoying perhaps the greatest year of its existence with a team pursuing a perfect record and renovations returning the venue to its former glory.

Food and Drink

APDrew Brees has helped lead the Saints to a 10-0 mark.

One part of the dome that could use a jolt of inspiration is the concessions. The food is rather banal compared to the stadium. Still, every football fan will be fine with the typical hamburger, hot dog, nachos, and other standard food fare. Meat, cheese, and bread are the major dishes (and a little bit of ice cream), so this is not for foodies among NFL fans.

New Orleans is known for wild, crazy nights fueled by an infusion of alcoholic beverages, so you would think the stadium would only carry on that tradition. If you are a beer drinker, be prepared to be disappointed. Anheuser-Busch is the beer vendor so look for the typical domestics at the typical stadium price of around $7. If you are willing to explore a little harder libation, then be prepared to be a pleasantly rewarded with a variety of cocktails worth their price (around $8).

Tickets, Parking, and the Surrounding Area

The prices for Saints tickets range from around $160 for a seat in the 600 level to between nearly $1,000 for amazing seats on the 100 level. These prices are on par with the magnitude of this game.

The Superdome is located in the middle of the tourism center of New Orleans so parking is quite expensive. More than one person has suggested parking pretty far away from the dome along public transportation lines and taking the bus to the game. In the end, this or even a cab ride from a parking location far away is probably cheaper than parking near the dome.

APIt's always a festive time in New Orleans.

While parking may be far away from the Superdome, post game fun is not. Fans are less than a mile away from the world famous debauchery of Bourbon Street. In fact it is probably best to begin and end the day there. The celebrated sinful street has restaurants and bars every few feet. These places can be a little expensive, but they cannot cost that much more than eating and drinking at the game. I would suggest getting Saints tickets, tailgating at a bar on Bourbon Street with a Hand Grenade and a bowl of Jumbalaya, taking a cab to the game, and celebrating back on Bourbon Street afterwards, whether your team won or lost.

New England Patriots at New Orleans Saints tickets

Indianapolis Colts (10-0) at Houston Texans (5-5) (Sunday, 1:00 PM ET)

The Colts and the Texans have been in search of a running game all season long. Both teams are in the bottom three of rushing yards per game. However, both teams are also in the top three of passing yards per game and are two of the most explosive offenses in the league today. This game will should be a celebration of just how far the forward pass has come in the NFL.

Reliant Stadium (8400 Kirby Drive, Houston, TX 77054)

NFL football returned to Houston in the 2002 with the opening of Reliant Stadium and the inaugural season of the Houston Texans. Football had been limited to the college game for six years after the Oilers left for Tennessee and the new era of football needed a new stadium worthy of bringing the professional game back to country’s fourth largest city. Reliant Stadium exceeded expectations and opened as one of the most modern and forward-looking venues in the league.

APColts QB Peyton Manning

The stadium became the first in the league to have a retractable roof. The retractable roof would become a craze with new NFL stadiums since the option created a stadium with the best of both worlds. Houston football fans enjoyed the refreshing sense of an open air stadium with the comfort and intimacy of an indoor venue. The experience is accentuated by an exterior largely made up of glass that opens the concourses up to the city around the sports arena. The concourses are also open to the field, a rarity among NFL venues. This wonderful voyeuristic sensation is coupled with the option to provide a great deal of climate control since the roof can be closed in the event of inclement weather.

The modern field has taken sightlines from all angles into account, so every seat, even those in the 600 level, have a terrific view of the field of play. The seats themselves are designed to be expansive enough to provide ample space for the modern American. The main concourse is equally expansive at 40-feet wide. There is plenty of room to meander and lounge in the 1.9 million square feet of space of Reliant Stadium.

Reliant Field is a great example of the utilization of the best design practices that take into account the fans perspective and the value of a major sports venue to a city’s landscape.

Food and Drink

For all the grandeur of the stadium, there was some clamoring about the lack of food options at first. Since these early complaints, the stadium and its vendor (Aramark) have stepped up there game. Suddenly in addition to the typical hamburger and hot dog stands there are concession destinations like Prince’s and Demeris. This is Texas, so these specialty stands do not do much for vegetarians (it’s a Tex-Mex celebration through and through), but they are gastric heaven for meat lovers. Prince’s has terrific burgers, chicken sandwiches, and various breaded side dishes. Demeris has amazing beef sandwiches and something everyone should try at least once, a great brisket sandwich. There are even some food/drink deals in these tough times. This will help take a little bite out of the standard overpriced stadium food (think between $5 and $9 for most entrees, and mostly closer to $9).

APTexans QB Matt Schaub looks to boost Houston's playoff hopes.

The beer list matches the supreme awesomeness of the specialty menu. Yes, there are Miller and Bud products abound, but those with a finer taste can enjoy Texas-based beers Shiners and St. Arnolds as well as Hispanic-themed Coronoa and Dos Equis and the more discriminating Fat Tire, Pyramid, and Blue Moon. There are two size options, 20 ounces and 12 ounces. There used to be a 24-ounce option, but this was downgraded to 20. The big ones will cost between $7.75 and $10 and the smaller cups are available for $5. For those who want liquor, Margaritas are available by the yard.

Tickets, Parking, and the Surrounding Area

Tickets for the Texans-Colts game run from a rather cheap $55 for the 600 level to upwards of $940 on the 100 level. This gives normal fans a chance to see a great game no matter what their money situation.

Reliant Stadium is in the midst of Reliant Sports Park so there is plenty of parking around the stadium. This is truly a great thing since tailgating is such a huge part of the Texans experience. Tailgating is open four hours before the game. Reportedly, parking is available for $10 in some lots. There is a light rail option as well, so to save on parking be sure see if this will work with for you.

The stadium and the sports park are south of downtown Houston off of US-90. The area has a few bar options close by, but for the most part a fan is better off taking the light rail into the city and exploring the downtown area if they want to celebrate a win or drink their sorrows after the game. If you head up to the downtown area then check out the Midtown, Montrose, and Museum District neighborhoods.

Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans tickets

Comments

Add a Comment