2012 NFL Schedule: Matchups Worthy of Monday Night Football

The 2012 NFL schedule is expected to be released next week, even if an over-zealous Philadelphia Eagles blogger with entirely too much time on his hands thought it should have already been published...

As always, there are several intriguing matchups on deck this season, and many of those will turn out to be duds.

Unlike Sunday night, Monday Night Football doesn't have the ability to flex games. They are at the mercy of the teams that are scheduled to appear. They certainly lobby for matchups they want to see, though.

Following are six games that will be worthy of a Monday Night Football appearance in 2012. I've left a few teams out of consideration, notably the Pittsburgh Steelers, New Orleans Saints and any team that didn't win at least six games last season.

Nothing personal, but Pittsburgh has entirely too many roster issues and no cap room to plug them. They could win a dozen games or lose that many this season. New Orleans has similar potential, but for an entirely different reason.

Buffalo Bills @ Houston Texans

It has been difficult for too many fans to get excited about watching the Buffalo Bills. To change this perception, the front office set their sights on acquiring Mario Williams and didn’t relent until his fiancé was in town and a deal was signed.

Williams will return to Houston this season. This game will be intriguing to see what type of reaction he receives from the home crowd, as well as what the Bills' new defense is capable of accomplishing.

This game is best suited for an early matchup, possible a Week 2 game. The story will still be fresh and the Bills will still be in contention.

Green Bay Packers @ Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks have hosted several prime-time games in recent seasons and have failed to disappoint. The 12th Man has been loud and the team has responded, beating the Philadelphia Eagles last season and the St. Louis Rams the last two years.

Perhaps it wasn’t the greatest competition, but the Eagles had at least started winning a few games by their December matchup.

Green Bay last visited Seattle on a Monday Night in 2006. Sean Alexander had a huge game returning from an injury, compiling 201 rushing yards on the snow-covered turf.

The story line will be a bit different in 2012. This game will likely feature Matt Flynn playing against his old team for the first time.

Green Bay will be working to show they still belong in Super Bowl discussions, while the Seahawks will look to show defense can still win games in the NFL.

A runner-up to this will be the Seahawks @ Miami Dolphins. Joe Philbin will get to see just how good his former pupil has become, and likely bemoan their inability to sign him. But who really wants a Monday Night game in Miami?

New York Giants @ San Francisco 49ers & New England Patriots @ Baltimore Ravens

What other venue can there be for the repeat of last season’s Conference Championship games?

The losing teams will each have home-field advantage in these contests. Both played well enough to win last year, but major errors cost them the game.

For the Ravens, a missed field goal with 11 seconds remaining kept them out of the Super Bowl. It was a fairly sloppy game all around and one Baltimore would like to avenge…in the regular season and in the playoffs.

For San Francisco, it was a pair of fumbles from a reserve return man that derailed their 12-win regular season.

Houston Texans @ Detroit Lions

This pairing will provide a potential preview of Super Bowl XLVII. Houston and Detroit are two teams on the cusp of reaching the Super Bowl. The Texans might have been the favorite to advance last season if not for the loss of Matt Schaub.

The Texans almost beat the Ravens behind rookie T.J. Yates, falling 20-13. Houston was not able to score in the second half.

The Lions will have a tough road to even make the playoffs. They will battle with the Packers and a likely-resurgent Chicago Bears team that has added a few talented pass catchers and pass defenders, along with several other free-agents.

Should the Lions emerge from their division, they will be battle-tested and ready to make some noise in the postseason. If they can have a little health luck at the running back position, they could be the NFC representative in 2013.

Denver Broncos @ New England Patriots

There is a very simple summary for this game: Peyton Manning vs Tom Brady. This could be the biggest test for Manning in the regular season and this matchup is made for prime time.