2011 NFL Schedule: The 20 Best Games of the Upcoming Season
When the 2011 NFL schedule was released last night, fans around the world immediately began to take a look at what their favorite teams would be facing in the season.
Did they luck out by getting all the games against good teams at home? When do they play their rivals? How are they going to get to at least 11 wins and get to the playoffs?
All these questions and more are being asked today. Another important one, though, that many people are seeking answers to, is: What are the most interesting contests next season? Thankfully, we now know!
We all root for our favorite teams, but the NFL, like no other league, attracts fans that just want to see a great game between any two teams. Luckily, there is no shortage of games this year that should have plenty of action, with even more drama behind it.
Let's have a look at the 20 most exciting games of 2011.
20) Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Week 15, Saturday at 8 PM
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This may not be the sexiest matchup you'll see on this list, but this could end up being a game that puts one team in the playoffs, and one team out of the race. Tampa is coming off a good 2010 season while the Cowboys are trying to avoid another disaster in 2011.
Two potentially potent offenses will be on display for this Saturday-night, late-season showdown.
19) Atlanta Falcons at Chicago Bears, Week 1, 1 PM
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Nothing like the two best teams of 2010 kicking off the new season, eh?
Despite the success they had last year, a lot of questions surround both of these teams. Many fans and analysts alike question whether these two squads are built for success, or if they were just flashes in the pan.
One team will kick off the season the best way it can. For the other, those questions about legitimacy will begin to come right after the final whistle.
18) Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots, Week 11, Monday at 8:30 PM
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You often hear the phrase "teacher vs. student" in sports, and ever since Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli left New England for KC, the Chiefs have tried to do things "The Patriot Way."
From signing Matt Cassel, to reuniting Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel (Weis has since moved on to become the offensive coordinator at the University of Florida), to the way the offense is run, the Chiefs have tried to become the Midwestern version of the Pats, and in Pioli's second year, the approach worked wonders, returning KC to the playoffs for the first time in several years.
Now you have the student from KC traveling to New England for a midseason meeting of division winners. The Pats will surely be favored, but we'll be able to see just how far the Chiefs have come, and if they can beat the Patriots at their own game.
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17) San Francisco 49ers at Baltimore Ravens, Week 12 at 1 PM
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When the 49'ers and Ravnes will square off, it will make history, as it will mark the first time two brothers coach against each other in an NFL game. After a very successful stint at Stanford, Jim Harbaugh joined his brother John in the NFL coaching ranks when he took the 49ers job from another former Chicago Bear, Mike Singletary.
While this game could also have playoff implications, there will be plenty of fans watching this merely because it's the "Harbaugh Bowl."
16) Green Bay Packers at New York Giants, Week 13 at 4:15 PM
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Considering how dire the outlook was regarding Green Bay's chances to make the playoffs last year, the Packers should be sending out thank-you notes to several teams and players. One of them needs to go to the Giants, who laid an egg against the Packers last year in Week 16.
The loss helped get the Packers into the playoffs, while the Giants essentially eliminated themselves altogether.
The Giants will be seeking revenge when the two teams clash in New York in early December. With a core that still has playoff-caliber talent, the Giants will try to use this game to propel themselves towards the postseason, instead of going out with a whimper like they have the past two seasons.
15) New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons, Week 16, Monday at 8:30 PM
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When looking at one of the better divisional series last year, look no further than these two NFC South rivals. With both teams hoping to contend again next year, you have to get excited when these two play each other so late in the season.
Their Week 16 clash very well could come with a playoff spot on the line. The two teams also play in Week 10, but nothing could be bigger than a game of this magnitude on the last weekend of December.
14) Chicago Bears at Denver Broncos, Week 14 at 4:05 PM
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While this game doesn't offer two quality opponents playing each other, the intensity will be at a fever pitch. He's loved and he's hated, but two years after being traded to Chicago, Jay Cutler is still a topic of discussion for Bronco fans.
Some feel he was treated unjustly by former head coach Josh McDaniels, while others still curse the day he dared to demand a trade out of their beloved city.
This will mark the second time Cutler returns to Denver, but the first was for a measly preseason exhibition in which he only took part in a few drives. This game will be on a late-December evening with a raucous crowd jeering its former franchise quarterback.
The game could also spoil any hopes the Bears have of making the playoffs, should they lose.
13) Dallas Cowboys at New England Patriots, Week 6 at 4:15 PM
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When two of the NFL's premiere franchises face off against each other for the first time in four years, you're going to take notice. That's exactly the case here, with the Cowboys traveling up to New England to take on the Patriots.
It'll be a very good opportunity to see where the Cowboys stand as they try to rebound from their struggles of 2010. A win here could put the team right back on the map as a Super Bowl contender.
12) Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons, Week 5 at 8:30 PM
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The Green Bay Packers arrived as a true Super Bowl contender in Atlanta, where they crushed the No. 1 Falcons in a Divisional Playoff game last year, 48-21. The Packers seemed to thrive on the Falcons' artificial turf. Will they do the same again?
The Falcons will be seeking some sort of revenge when the two teams face off for Sunday Night football. The game could prove to be a big one, as both teams will be playing in very tightly contested divisions.
11) New York Giants at New England Patriots, Week 9 at 4:15 PM
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This is a rematch of the Super Bowl that produced one of the more improbable upsets in recent sports history. The Giants won't have David Tyree and his Herculean effort to help them win this time, but they do have a roster with enough talent to give the Patriots issues.
A lot has happened since that Super Bowl that deprived the Patriots of NFL immortality, but you can bet the Patriots will still be feeling the wound from that game when they take on the G-Men.
10) New York Jets at Philadelphia Eagles, Week 15 at 4:15 PM
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This game should be a fun one!
Michael Vick and his high-flying offense take on Rex Ryan's tough-as-nails defense; these are the types of games that make you grateful for the inter-conference showdowns the NFL provides for fans every year. This game could very well put one team into the playoffs and keep the loser out, given that this game is taking place in Week 15.
It will be interesting to see if Vick can poke holes through the Jets defense, or if the "Ryan 3-4" will be too much for No. 7.
9) Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints, Week 2 at 1:00 PM
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The Bears start their season against the Falcons and then have to go to New Orleans for a Week 2 showdown. These two teams have been among the most successful in the NFC over the past two years, and this game could very well be important when it comes to determining playoff seeding at the end of the season.
The Saints and Bears will feature a great showdown between an excellent quarterback in Drew Brees and a very strong Bears defense. The key to this game might very well be Jay Cutler's ability to avoid the turnovers against the Saints' opportunistic defense.
8) New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers, Week 8 at 4:15 PM
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Two of the best teams in the NFL over the past decade play each other yet again in Week 8. This game will probably just determine playoff seeding, but that doesn't take away from the fact that when these two teams play, quality football ensues.
7) New York Jets at Baltimore Ravens, Week 4 at 8:30 PM
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Rex Ryan gets another crack at his former team when the Jets travel to Baltimore for Sunday Night Football. A lot of people got excited for last season's game between these two teams, but the Jets didn't show up for that one.
Don't expect that to happen this time around. These two teams have taken the fifth and sixth seeds in the AFC for the past two years, so this go around could again determine who gets a higher seed in the 2011 playoffs.
Two bruising teams playing good, old-fashioned football in October; it's the type of game that gets you excited for football.
6) Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens, Week 1 at 1:00 PM
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Is there any better way to open up a football season than having arguably the best rivals in the league go at it?
There have been a few guarantees in the NFL over the past few years, and one of those is that the Steelers and Ravens always play each other tough. The two had yet another close battle in the playoffs last year.
These two teams absolutely hate each other, and football fans will be lucky enough to see that hatred on display from the very first moment of the season.
5) Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers, Week 16 at 8:30 PM
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Last year, in Week 17, the Packers had to beat the Bears to keep their season alive. They did so, prevailing over Chicago, 10-3, in a tight contest that the Bears did not need to win.
Could that scenario repeat itself as the two rivals play again late in the season?
This is a truly fun time for football fans, as these two historic franchises have rarely been this good at the same time. Their NFC championship game represented only the second time the teams had ever played each other in the postseason.
The NFL's oldest rivalry on display in Week 16 with a potential playoff spot on the line—it doesn't get much better than that.
4) Indianapolis Colts at New Orleans Saints, Week 7 at 8:30 PM
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This is a rematch of Super Bowl XLIV, wherein the Saints surprised everyone by defeating the favored Colts. This game also features the return of Peyton Manning to the area he grew up in as he takes on the team his father played for.
Football fans need to begin to truly appreciate matchups like this, as Peyton Manning is 35 years old. The time is coming when he will start to play certain teams for the last time.
3) New York Giants at New York Jets, Week 16 at 1:00 PM
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There have been few times when the Giants and Jets were both contenders. It's almost unprecedented for these two teams to be playing each other in a meaningful game so late in the season.
The Giants and Jets have skirted the playoff line for the past two seasons. The Jets have been on the right end of that line, while the Giants have just missed both times. This game could determine which team will end up playing games in January, and which will be watching them.
2) New York Jets at New England Patriots, Week 5 at 1:00 PM
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Whether you love them or hate them, the Jets are on this list a lot because people watch them. People will undoubtedly be glued to their screens when these two bitter rivals take each other on for the first time since the Jets' shocking victory in January.
These two teams had about as strange a three-game series as any two could possibly have. The Jets won a close, early-season contest before the Patriots blew the Jets doors off late in the season. Then, the Jets controlled the Patriots for most of their playoff encounter.
How this game will turn out is anyone's guess. One thing is for certain, though: Rex Ryan will do a lot of talking, and the Patriots will do their best to shut him and his team up.
1) Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons, Week 2 at 8:30 PM
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The fact that this game pits two 2010 playoff teams against each other is, quite frankly, irrelevant. This is all about Michael Vick, the former face of the Falcons franchise, returning to Atlanta for the first time since his career spiraled out of control.
No one is going to care so much about who wins. It will be all about how Vick performs, how the fans receive the former fan-favorite and how he himself will respond to the fans.
This game will be similar to the one that featured Brett Favre making his first start in Green Bay for the opposing team. Michael Vick taking on the Falcons is already being talked about more than any other match-up and one can hardly imagine how much coverage the game will get as we get closer to kickoff.
While other games may have more impact on the postseason, nothing else on the 2011 calendar will have the dramatic return of Vick to Atlanta.
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