Chicago Bears to pay tribute to Mike Ditka at Soldier Field game against New England Patriots

The Chicago Bears are back in the national spotlight Thursday, hosting the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football!It's a showdown between two of the NFL's top young quarterbacks, Caleb Williams and Drake Maye.Fans hoping to catch a last-minute deal on tickets are out of luck. The get-in price was about $800 dollars Thursday afternoon, and that is lining up to be the most expensive ticket in the NFL this season.However, people are paying up, and a lot of New England fans could be seen walking around. It should be a sell-out crowd at Soldier Field Thursday night.ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watchBoth teams are 4-and-2 and coming off wins.Williams returned from a hamstring injury Sunday, throwing for more than 300 yards in the Bears' victory over Atlanta."For me, I always like people that bounce back like that from injuries like Wolverine. You know its like it only took a few weeks to get back. Like I am happy that he's healthy," fan Ed Ndongo said.Bears fans say they'd like to see more consistency from the defense."So we've been doing really good on offense. So we hopefully can just take it all the way with offense and defense and really give it to them," Bears fan Jonathan Thornton said.Maye has led the Patriots to three straight wins.RELATED: Remembering Mike Ditka: Tributes pour in after Chicago Bears legend dies at 86Kickoff is at 7:15 p.m. at Soldier Field."For me, I always like people that bounce back like that from injuries like Wolverine. You know its like it only took a few weeks to get back. Like I am happy that he's healthy," fan Ed Ndongo said.The Bears are playing their first home game since the passing of Mike Ditka, a Hall of Fame tight end who later coached the 1985 Bears to a Super Bowl win.The Bears plan to pay tribute to Ditka throughout the game, including a stadium-wide mustache giveaway, a Ditka Hall of Fame display in the south courtyard, an on-field flag and stencil and a moment of silence.Bears-Patriots matchup drives soaring ticket prices at Soldier FieldFans attending Thursday night's Bears-Patriots game at Soldier Field are paying some of the highest ticket prices seen in the NFL this season, with the get-in price hovering around $800.The Bears are hosting New England on the lakefront, drawing fans from across the country willing to spend heavily for the experience.Michael and Nanette Silva, who traveled from California, said they paid about $800 per ticket."We're excited. We did pay around 800 per ticket because we wanted good seats. Like it said, it may be the first and last time we come here," Michael and Nanette Silva said.Other fans said the trip and ticket costs added up quickly."We got some pretty good tickets. We got them the day they released, like section 400," Jordan and Marcus, who traveled from California, said. "It's crazy, especially for us from California, so it cost us a good arm and leg, so pretty expensive."Ticket brokers said demand has pushed prices to unusual levels."I've been doing this 35 years. This is the exception, not the norm," ticket broker Steve Buzil said. "Normally you can get into a game 400, 300, sometimes 250, but just to get into the door today it's 800-900, close to a thousand.""It's an anomaly this thing this is crazy but this is like a playoff game, Buzil said. "It's better than a playoff game. This is better than the first game of the season I've never seen it like this in years."Part of the demand is being fueled by New England's traveling fan base. Patriots supporters from out of town said Chicago was an appealing destination for a football weekend."I love it. Nice city. It's clean, polite and easy to get around," Allen and Ann Marie McVay of Rhode Island said.Fans at Soldier Field also received mustaches as part of a tribute honoring Bears legend Mike Ditka."I like Ditka. RIP. He's a legend. Sad day, but we're gonna win it for him tonight," Jordan said.For many in attendance, the combination of a marquee matchup, visiting fans and a special tribute created an atmosphere that made the steep ticket prices worth the cost.