Hi Everyone!

A buddy of mine is a huge Patriots fan and we've always talked about going to a game together. I was mostly apathetic to the NFL, but his fandom has definitely rubbed off on me. Plus you can't deny that Brady is the GOAT.

Neither one of us have ever been to a Patriots game (I've never been to an NFL game - plenty of college games though), so when I had $350 in Southwest Airlines airfare credits that I had to use or lose soon, I thought what better reason could we have to go see a game!

The two of us are flying from Oklahoma City to Boston on Saturday, Dec 1, and then flying back home on Monday, Dec 3.

I was hoping you guys could give me some tips for our visit

-Looks like a rental car is going to be mandatory. What's the parking situation like for the game? Cost?
-What is traffic like going from Boston to the stadium before the game? How early should we leave in order to arrive with plenty of time to spare?
-Any suggestions on places to hit up before or after the game?
-Any suggestions on places to stay/ eat in Boston?
-Any other general tips or things to watch out for?

Regarding game tickets - any advice on where to acquire some? I know the usual suspects like Ticketmaster and StubHub, but I was wondering if there's any reputable local ticket brokers? It seems like the official NFL ticketing website is the most expensive. Normally I'd Craigslist something like this, but that's going to be kind of difficult (not to mention pretty risky) to pull off given our lack of proximity to the area.

Update

I have everything booked but am now just looking for sea food suggestions and sports bars in downtown Boston. We're staying a bit outside of the downtown area and will just Uber in or take the subway, so any suggestions are appreciated.

Answers in bold.

I've seen signs for $40 and up (might be as high as $100, not sure, for onsite) for parking.

IIRC there is a train to the stadium that only runs for the games. Might be a better way to get there from Downtown Boston.

Traffic on game days is bumper to bumper for hours on end.

Any recommendations for sea food?

If you are going to be in that Foxboro area one of the best seafood restaurants isn't far away.

Fresh Catch
30 Chauncy St. (Rte. 106)
Mansfield, MA 02048

They are a fresh fish market and restaurant and we find the clams and lobster here better than most places we've eaten at on Cape Cod.

Check out their restaurant specials here (changes weekly):
http://www.freshcatchinc.com/specials-retail/

Rather than renting a car and  fighting for / paying for parking, uber / lyft / rideshare.

Several thousand other folks are heading there.

You would be better off to fly into Providence RI.  It is so much easier to get in and out of.  Your hotels and other expenses would be much cheaper.  You could stay in Motels along Rt #1.  Providence is only about 12 miles from the stadium.

I live very close to the stadium and know quite a bit of the area

I second this, Providence is a smaller airport and very easy to navigate. Your not far from Gillette and coming from the South/West on Rt. 1 is a lot easier to get in and out of.

Several shops and food at Patriot Place but they will be slammed on game days.

If your going to fly into and stay in Boston then you should definitely check the train schedule.

At the game make sure you dress a lot warmer then you think. Its outdoors and can have a substantial wind chill. (You can always take layers off but if you don't have them you can't put any on).

Price of tickets are very high in comparison to other teams because we've had 15-20 years on champion or playoff bound teams, Brady is the GOAT and everyone wants to see him before he retires on top. Its also a smaller stadium in comparison and its "New England", not just one state and fans come from all over. Your also going to the Minnesota game which is more of a premium game instead of a normal divisional game.

Bump with update in OP.

Seafood!

Take the Providence train (commuter rail) to Mansfield, get off and walk probably less than 1/4 mile to Fresh Catch on Rte. 106. Lobster as good as anything you'll find in the tourist area but a lot cheaper. Ditto for clams, etc.

http://www.freshcatchinc.com/specials-restaurant/ - check both the restaurant and "retail" under Specials as they sometimes have coupons in either one (like $15.99 for twin lobster dinners).