Throughout the 2009 season, several teams have had to scramble in an effort to sell all non-premium seats in advance of the 72-hour pre-kickoff deadline, which at times has been extended by 24 (and, in one case, 48) hours.
The usual suspects in this regard are the Chargers, Bengals, and (on one or two occasions) the Cardinals. Other teams, like the Raiders and the Jaguars, don’t even bother to seek an extension.
Entering the fray for the first time this year are the Chiefs, who at 3-9 host the Bills on Sunday in a game that will be played in the cold, and possibly in the snow.
The Chiefs have announced that 3,500 tickets need to be sold before Thursday at 1:00 p.m. ET.
The Chiefs have not suffered a local blackout since December 16, 1990, giving the franchise a 155-game streak of sellouts.
“This has unfortunately become a more common occurrence in several NFL cities this year,” Chiefs COO Mark Donovan said. “The possibility of a blackout is caused by a combination of the current economic climate, inclement weather in December, a non-divisional opponent and our record.”
Look for the Chiefs and/or one or more of their sponsors and/or the local CBS affiliate that would be televising the game to step up and guarantee the purchase of any remaining tickets as of Thursday, with maybe a 24-hour extension provided to help shrink the final amount of the check that someone will have to write.