While still the butt end of ignorant blackout and ticket sales jokes, the Jacksonville Jaguars announced on Thursday that they will be lifting some of the tarps in the upper deck as the team gets set to host the Chicago Bears on Sunday in EverBank Field.

"We're pleased with demand for tickets for this game and we're thrilled to be able to make additional tickets available to our fans," Jaguars President Mark Lamping said in a statement from the team.

A few years ago, former Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver installed some tarps on the stadium to cut the seating down and bring the stadium to a more appropriate size for the Jacksonville market, covering up a little over 9,000 seats, mostly in the upper deck of the stadium.

New Jaguars owner Shad Khan had mentioned that he would like to see the tarps come off permanently at some point, as they are a constant reminder of the team's inability to sell tickets.

For the 2012 season, the NFL has allowed team's to cut down their blackout number for games to 85 percent of the general bowl if they wish, with both the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers participating in the program, while the Jaguars declined. The Jaguars have the option of lifting some or all of the tarps to sell tickets if they so choose, and have chosen to do so against the Bears.