The Minnesota Vikings took an expensive yet strategic step to increase their presence at Sunday night’s pivotal NFC North matchup against the Detroit Lions.

The team purchased roughly 1,900 tickets near the visitors’ bench at Ford Field from secondary sellers, spending about $1,000 per ticket, for a total of nearly $2 million.

They then resold the tickets to their stakeholders — including staff, family, season ticket holders, and team partners — at prices ranging from $200 to $300 each.

In a statement, the Vikings said, “Given the significance of this game, we wanted to provide our stakeholders — staff, family, season ticket members, and team partners — an opportunity to attend.”

While this tactic is unusual, it is permitted under NFL regulations.

The move highlights the stakes of Sunday’s game, as the winner will claim the NFC North title, the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed, and a first-round bye, while the loser will drop to the No. 5 seed and face a road game in the wild-card round.