2011 NFL Schedule: Top 25 Games to Watch This Year
The NFL released the full schedule of games for the 2011 season this week, which begs an important question that has been on the minds of football fans everywhere for the past few months: is there actually going to be a 2011 season?
The league and its locked-out players spent several days engaged in fruitless court-ordered talks and aren't likely to meet again until the middle of May. Meanwhile, U.S District Judge Susan Richard Nelson will continue to weigh whether or not to honor a request by the players to force an end to the lockout via injunction.
Both sides seem eager to resolve the situation before the season begins, though the owners and the players clearly have very different conditions that would need to be met for either side to agree to a new collective bargaining deal.
And the longer this mess drags on through the legal system, the greater the likelihood that the aforementioned 2011 schedule gets shaved down, week by agonizing week.
With the status of the upcoming campaign being uncertain as it is, it certainly doesn't hurt to at least have a gander at the games that fans hope to be tuning in for should the NFL and the players get their act together by September.
Here, then, are the 25 best games to keep an eye out for, in chronological order.
New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers, Thursday 9/8, 8:30 PM ET on NBC
1 of 25
The season will presumably kick off on the second Thursday in September with a terrific tilt between the last two Super Bowl champions.
Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints will travel to Green Bay to take on Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.
The crowd figures to be rockin' at Lambeau Field as the Pack get their Super Bowl rings before embarking on what will likely be an arduous but entertaining title defense throughout the 2011 season.
Sean Payton's team, on the other hand, will look to bounce back from a disappointingly premature end to their most recent playoff run, in which the Saints fell to the underdog Seahawks at Qwest Field in Seattle.
Of course, the marquee match-up in that between Brees and Rodgers, two of the NFL's pre-eminent quarterbacks, whose own success on the field will have a significant impact on how each one's team fares throughout the season.
Granted, a win in this game alone won't be enough to propel either team to Super Bowl XLVI, but it certainly wouldn't hurt either.
Dallas Cowboys at New York Jets, Sunday 9/11, 8:20 PM ET on NBC
2 of 25
The highlight of the weekend itself will come on Sunday night when the Cowboys take on the Jets.
This one will be much more than just a game, as the teams will be commemorating 10 years since the shocking and saddening terror attacks of 9/11.
The contest itself should be a fitting spectacle, with Tony Romo attempting to lead America's Team back to prominence after a disappointing 6-10 season that saw the firing of Wade Phillips and the subsequent ascension of Jason Garrett to the head coaching position.
New York, on the other hand, will look to build a foundation on which to being a run to a third straight AFC Championship Game, with the hope, of course, that Mark Sanchez will finally break through this time and lead the team to the Super Bowl.
A fitting end, indeed, to the first week of the season.
Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons, Sunday 9/18, 8:20 PM ET on NBC
3 of 25
The following Sunday will feature one of the more intriguing games of the season as far as subplots are concerned.
And no, it's not just because the Georgia Dome will be the NFL equivalent of an aviary when the Philadelphia Eagles fly into Atlanta to take on the Falcons.
The big story here will undoubtedly be the return of Michael Vick to his former football stomping grounds for the first time since the Bad Newz dogfighting fiasco.
How will fans treat their former franchise superstar? How will Vick react to the pressure of playing in front of thousands of fans who once worshiped him but were utterly disappointed by his fall from grace?
Will Matt Ryan help the Dirty Birds faithful to forget what they once had and, instead, embrace the quarterbacking greatness they have now?
Tune in on September 18th to find out!
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Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts, Sunday 9/25, 8:20 PM ET on NBC
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The Pittsburgh Steelers hope to pick up some momentum for second consecutive Super Bowl run when they rumble into Indianapolis to take on the Colts.
Ben Roethlisberger and company will do their best to get comfortable at Lucas Oil Stadium, where they certainly wish to find themselves come February of 2012 for Super Bowl XLVI.
Of course, Peyton Manning and the Colts won't let the Men of Steel settle in without a fight. Jim Caldwell's club has plenty of motivation heading into the 2011 season after watching his team's hopes for post-season glory dashed in the Wild Card round this past January.
As always, this bout between AFC powerhouses pits the finesse of Manning's Colts against the grit and toughness of Roethlisberger's Steelers.
This will also serve as the first opportunity in prime time for the country to see if Manning still has "it" at the ripe old age of 35.
New York Jets at Baltimore Ravens, Sunday 10/2, 8:20 PM ET on NBC
5 of 25
Before taking over as head coach of the New York Jets, Rex Ryan spent 10 years as a defensive assistant with the Baltimore Ravens, serving as the team's defensive coordinator for the last four.
Ryan is set to return to the Beltway at the beginning of October, when the Jets pay a visit to M&T Bank Stadium to take on the Ravens.
Both teams sport strong defenses and young quarterbacks (Mark Sanchez and Joe Flacco) who are seemingly on the cusp of superstardom.
This match-up of playoff teams should make for some interesting fireworks, especially between Rex Ryan and his former players, most notably Ray Lewis.
Indianapolis Colts at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Monday 10/3, 8:30 PM ET on ESPN
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The very next evening, the Colts will travel to Tampa to take on the Buccaneers nearly eight years after the greatest comeback in the history of Monday Night Football.
For the uninitiated, it was October 6, 2003 when Peyton Manning led Indy back from a 35-14 deficit with five minutes left to pull out a miraculous fourth-quarter win, 38-35.
Of course, that was a while ago, back in the heart of the Jon Gruden era, long before Raheem Morris ever set foot on the field at Raymond James Stadium.
Perhaps Josh Freeman and the Bucs will give the Colts their comeuppance this time around.
Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons, Sunday 10/9, 8:20 PM ET on NBC
7 of 25
The defending champs make their second appearance on this list when the Packers travel south to Atlanta in a rematch of their NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Falcons.
Fans of both teams won't soon forget the 48-21 pounding Green Bay handed the Dirty Birds back in January. Aaron Rodgers had 366 yards and three touchdowns while the Packers' stout defense held Atlanta to 194 total yards.
As such, Atlanta coach Mike Smith won't have to do too much to motivate his team to get up for this one, as every guy in the Falcons' locker room is sure to have revenge squarely on his mind.
Dallas Cowboys at New England Patriots, Sunday 10/16, 4:15 PM ET on Fox
8 of 25
The quality of the game between the Cowboys and the Patriots in mid-October depends strongly on whether the Cowboys are able to actualize the talent on their roster, rather than tank like they did last season.
What better way for Jason Garrett's squad to test their might than in Foxboro against the Pats, one of the league's perennial powers over the last decade.
There are plenty of fans in Dallas who are still pining for the glory days of the Cowboys' dynasty of the Troy Aikman-Emmitt Smith-Michael Irvin years, and a win over the NFL's most recent dynasty would certainly help to boost the spirits of Jerry Jones' downtrodden supporters.
Of course, Bill Belichick isn't about to give away the secret to his success in New England, nor would his Pats seem privy to relinquishing a victory to the 'Boys in exchange for defeat.
San Diego Chargers at New York Jets, Sunday 10/23, 1:00 PM ET on CBS
9 of 25
The Chargers and Jets have been on opposed trajectories ever since the two met in the divisional playoffs in 2010.
It was January 17th of that year that Rex Ryan, in his first season at the helm in New York, led his team, quarterbacked by Matt Leinart (another rookie), to a thrilling 17-14 victory at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. The upstart Jets, who had seemingly "backed" into the playoffs that year, struggled offensively the entire game before scoring two fourth-quarter touchdowns to take control of the game.
New York went on to lose to the Colts in the AFC Championship Game that year, which they followed up with a loss to Pittsburgh in this year's AFC Championship Game.
And the Chargers? After going 13-3 in 2009, the Bolts bungled their way to a 9-7 record in 2010 and found themselves out of the playoffs for the first time since the conclusion of the 2005 season.
By this point in the season, we should all have a pretty good idea as to whether each team will still be marching down its respective path or if fortunes have since shifted for either one.
Indianapolis Colts at New Orleans Saints, Sunday 10/23, 8:20 PM ET on NBC
10 of 25
The game of the week for October 23rd will once again be found on NBC when Peyton Manning and the Colts travel to the Louisiana Superdome to take on Drew Brees and the Saints.
Everyone will be talking about this one as a rematch of Super Bowl XLIV, in which Brees tied Tom Brady's record for completions in a Super Bowl and took away MVP honors while leading New Orleans to a 31-17 victory.
The bigger story here, however, may very well turn out to be the respective futures of these two teams. Indy isn't likely to be the same team it's been over the past decade now that Manning, at 35 years of age, is entering the twilight of his career.
As for "Nawlins", the Saints find themselves on the fringe in the NFC South now that the Atlanta Falcons have asserted themselves as the team to beat in that division, and may be pushed even closer to the brink if Tampa Bay continues its rapid climb up the divisional latter.
So while story lines rooted in the past will likely rule the airwaves for this game, the real intrigue will come from a look to the future for each of these ball clubs.
New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday 10/30, 4:15 PM ET on CBS
11 of 25
The New England Patriots have made a habit of piling up rival after rival, thanks in large part to their perennial playoff presence.
The Pittsburgh Steelers may easily count themselves among those with historical beef against Tom Brady's band of postseason princes after butting heads with the Pats four times during the Bill Cowher era.
Ben Roethlisberger and company have yet to run into New England in the postseason since Mike Tomlin took over in 2007, though 2011 seems as good a year as ever for Tomlin to face the wrath of Bill Belichick when all the chips are on the table.
Of course, a Week 8 game like this one hardly carries with it such implications, though it could, in the end, serve as an interesting warm-up for a playoff battle down the line.
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday 10/30, 8:20 PM ET on NBC
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What would Sunday Night Football on NBC be without an NFC East divisional battle?
Philadelphia ruled the roost in the division last season, with much of the credit owed to the incredible comeback season of one Michael Vick.
Dallas, on the other hand, endured a harsh tumble from grace in 2010, finishing with a 6-10 record amidst a tumultuous season made chaotic by the loss of Tony Romo to injury and the midseason firing of Wade Phillips.
The Cowboys have the talent and the desire to return to the top of the division in 2011, though they'll have to go through the defending champion Eagles if they hope to reclaim the title that they held as recently as 2009.
San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs, Monday 10/31, 8:30 PM on ESPN
13 of 25
The Chargers and Chiefs will meet in Kansas City to commemorate Halloween on Monday Night Football.
More importantly, these two division rivals will meet on this night for the second time of the season in a game that will likely go a long way toward determining who comes away with the AFC West crown at season's end.
Will Matt Cassel have KC back in position for a playoff bid, or will Phillip Rivers and the Bolts bounce back from a down season in 2010 to take back control of the West in 2011?
Or will this just be a meaningless tussle while the Raiders ride their way to the top of the crop?
Or will Denver...forget it, I've taken this too far.
Atlanta Falcons at Indianapolis Colts, Sunday 11/6, 1:00 PM ET on Fox
14 of 25
The first week of games in November will feature one of the more intriguing quarterback match-ups of the season as Matt Ryan leads the Falcons into Indianapolis to take on Peyton Manning and the Colts.
At 25 years of age, Ryan is already one of the NFL's premiere quarterbacks and a solid showing against Manning, 10 years his elder and one of the greatest at his position of all time.
This game could serve as a veritable passing of the torch, assuming the 2011 season marks the last time fans will see the aging Peyton Manning at the apex of the quarterbacking world.
New York Giants at New England Patriots, Sunday 11/6, 4:15 PM ET on Fox
15 of 25
The real fun of the weekend, however, won't truly begin until the afternoon when the Giants pay a visit to Foxboro in a rematch of Super Bowl XLII.
Now, the Patriots won't be riding any 18-game winning streaks into this game, but it should be rather interesting nonetheless.
New England figures to be firmly in the picture for yet another AFC East crown, while Big Blue will be looking to rebound from a disappointing end of the 2010 season that saw Tom Coughlin's club once again fall from the top of the NFC East standings, this time to the surging Philadelphia Eagles.
Will revenge be enough to put the Pats over the top? Or will Eli Manning's G-Men rise to the occasion once again, though in a decidedly less important contest?
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday 11/6, 8:20 PM ET on NBC
16 of 25
As intense as the game between the Giants and Pats might be, no game of the week—or even the season, for that matter—will be quite as violent and grudge-filled as the final tilt of the regular season between Baltimore and Pittsburgh.
These bitter division rivals met in the playoffs this past January, with the Steelers coming out on top, 31-24, in a decidedly more offensive contest than one might expect.
However, don't expect that to be the case when these two foes match wits in November with the lead in the AFC North potentially at stake. There figures to be a lot more of James Harrison, Troy Polamalu, Ray Lewis and Ed Reed than Ben Roethlisberger, Rashard Mendenhall, Joe Flacco and Ray Rice.
Not that the latter group won't have plenty of impact on the game either.
New England Patriots at New York Jets, Sunday 11/13, 8:20 PM ET on NBC
17 of 25
As is the case with just about every foe the Jets face these days, the team's rivalry with the Patriots has ramped up quite a bit since the fire-breathing Rex Ryan showed up three years ago following the firing of Eric "The Man-genius" Mangini.
This intra-divisional tiff took on a new layer of significance when New York dispatched New England in the divisional round of the playoffs this past January, 28-21.
Jets superstar corner Darrell Revis single-handedly shut down half of Tom Brady's field of vision, leaving the rest of the team's defense to feast while Mark Sanchez led a steady, if unspectacular, offensive charge for New England.
Of course, the Jets went on to lose in the AFC Championship Game for the second year in a row, leaving many to wonder when, if ever, this ball club will finally get over the hump from being a Wild Card team that can win a couple games to a divisional contender with true Super Bowl aspirations.
A win in this game will go a long way toward showing if the Jets are for real this time around.
Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants, Sunday 11/20, 8:20 PM ET on NBC
18 of 25
The Philadelphia Eagles will return to the New Meadowlands on November 20th for the first time since DeSean Jackson's "Miracle at the Meadowlands", which begs the question: will the Giants kick to him again?
The answer to that question depends largely on how competitive the NFC East race is at this point in the season and, more importantly, whether or not New York is a part of that competition.
The Giants' defense will have to step up its game as well after allowing the Eagles to score 21 points to set up Jackson for the winning score in the first place.
New England Patriots at Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday 11/27, 4:15 PM ET on CBS
19 of 25
The fact that the Patriots are involved in more than one rematch of a previous Super Bowl this season speaks to just how incredible they have been in the Bill Belichick era.
Just three weeks after hosting the Giants in one Super Bowl rehash, New England will travel to Philadelphia to play the Eagles, nearly seven years after Tom Brady and Deion Branch outlasted Donovan McNabb's club in a game that featured Terrell Owens' triumphant return from a broken leg that had kept him out for the entirety of that playoff run.
Obviously, the two teams that meet in November will be vastly different from the ones that tangled in February of 2005, especially now that memories of McNabb have receded into the backwaters of Philly sports lore.
If these two squads come together as many expect them to, this game could turn out to be a preview of Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis.
Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots, Sunday 12/4, 8:20 PM ET on NBC
20 of 25
Few rivalries in the NFL today generate as much buzz as that between the Colts and the Patriots.
It certainly makes sense, given the tremendous success that each franchise has enjoyed over the past decade, largely on the backs of Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks—Tom Brady for the Pats and Peyton Manning for the Colts.
Though the teams don't hate each other like, say, the Ravens and the Steelers, one can always expect an interesting tussle between these two teams whenever they meet, whether in the regular season or the playoffs.
And, given the late-season nature of this battle, Indy and New England could feasibly be battling for playoff positioning when they meet in early December.
Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens, Sunday 12/11, 1:00 PM ET on CBS
21 of 25
The Colts' postseason seeding could take a serious hit in early December, between road games at New England and, the week afterward, at Baltimore.
Of course, any road game against the Ravens carries even more weight for Indy after the team's unceremonious move from the Beltway to Indiana in 1984 under the ownership of Robert Irsay, the father of current Colts owner Jim Irsay.
Add to that the potential playoff implications of a late season game between two perennial powerhouses, and the opportunity for Joe Flacco to measure himself one of the best to ever play the position, and you've got a must-watch game between the Colts and the Ravens.
New York Jets at Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday 12/18, 4:15 PM ET on CBS
22 of 25
The last inter-conference game between 2010 playoff teams also happens to be one of the most watch-worthy of the season.
Rex Ryan will lead the Jets' raucous roadshow down I-95 to play the Eagles in what could very well be a preview of Super Bowl XLVI.
New York's pass rush will be put to the test against the always-agile Michael Vick, who will have to find different ways to get the ball to DeSean Jackson with Darrelle Revis attached to his hip.
Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers, Sunday 12/25, 8:20 PM ET on NBC
23 of 25
If the standings shake out in 2011 like they did in 2010, then the Week 16 battle between the Bears and the Packers could be the most intense rivalry game of the season.
And what a treat it will be on Christmas Day!
Of course, any and every tilt between Chicago and Green Bay is a Hobbesian affair, nasty and brutish through and through with defensive stars all over the field, from Charles Woodson and Clay Matthews for the Packers to Brian Urlacher and Julius Peppers for the Bears.
The Packers proved last season that they don't need to wear the division crown to be the champs, as they ran through Chicago in the NFC Championship Game as a Wild Card team while the Bears hosted the affair at Soldier Field by way of winning the NFC North during the regular season.
Certainly, Pack coach Mike McCarthy wouldn't mind owning the right to replay that game on his team's turf at Lambeau Field, though his chief concern would undoubtedly be that the outcome remains the same—a win for the Packers, that is.
Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints, Monday 12/26, 8:30 PM ET on ESPN
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The last two weeks of the NFL season figure to be replete with intense and meaningful divisional dances, not the least of which will be found in New Orleans when the Falcons meet the Saints on Monday Night Football.
Both teams bowed out of the most recent playoffs without winning a single game—the defending champion Saints on the road against the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks and the top-seeded Falcons at home to the eventual-champion Green Bay Packers by an embarrassingly wide margin.
As such, both teams will be seeking a shot at redemption—and the NFC South title—when they face off the day after Christmas at the Louisiana Superdome.
Look for the quarterbacking greatness of Drew Brees and Matt Ryan to rule the day, not that such a recommendation should come as much of a surprise to anyone familiar with the talents of these two signal-callers, who are easily among the NFL's best.
Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants, Sunday 1/1, 1:00 PM ET on Fox
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If there is any drama to be found during Week 17 of the 2011 NFL season, it will be at the New Meadowlands when the Cowboys come to town.
Whether that drama has anything to do with the playoffs remains to be seen.
Chances are, the Giants and the Cowboys will be duking it out for a shot at the postseason, which will be particularly interesting to keep tabs on given the disappointing seasons that both franchises had in 2010 while finishing out of the playoff picture.
And, if there are no championship implications in this one, keep a close eye on Tom Coughlin as he squirms in what might just be his last game as Big Blue's head coach.
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