Sunday Night Football Schedule 2011: TV Schedule, Live Streaming and Game Times

If you want premium NFL matchups in a prime time setting, conventional wisdom suggests you'll find it on Monday Night Football.

I say to the depths with conventional wisdom. Monday Night Football is all well and good, but Sunday Night Football is just as good. In fact, I would go so far as to say that SNF is even better than MNF, especially when you take a look at some of the games that the folks at NBC have managed to line up for us this season.

If you're looking for a rundown on those and everything else you need to know about 2011's Sunday Night Football lineup, you've come to the right place.

TV: All games will be seen on NBC.

Time: Sundays at 8:20 p.m. ET.

Live Streaming: Head on over to NFL.com to purchase a season subscription. You'll get all the games on-demand and, apparently, commercial-free.

Cost: $39.99

There are some games on the Sunday Night Football schedule that stick out more than others, and I'm chomping at the bit to talk about them.

The first of these will come in Week 2, when the Sunday nightcap will see the Philadelphia Eagles hit the road to take on the Atlanta Falcons. It may be early in the season, but this game has plenty of NFC playoff implications, as both the Eagles and Falcons promise to end the regular season at or near the top of their conference. This game will also give us a quality quarterback matchup, with Michael Vick squaring off against Matt Ryan.

Speaking of awesome quarterback matchups, the Week 7 contest featuring the Indianapolis Colts at the New Orleans Saints is going to be a good one. In a rematch of Super Bowl XLIV, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning will match wits in what should be a very high-scoring affair. Serious business for their fantasy owners. Good fun for everyone else.

Two weeks later in Week 9, the Baltimore Ravens will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. For my money, this is the best rivalry in the NFL at the moment, and the two teams always seem to beat each other to a pulp every time they meet. Because both promise to be in the mix for the AFC North title this year, there's no reason for this to change.

Hottest Games This Season

Week	Date and Time	Teams
Week 2	Sep. 18, 8:20 p.m. ET	Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons
Week 7	Oct. 23, 8:20 p.m. ET	Indianapolis Colts at New Orleans Saints
Week 9	Nov. 6, 8:20 p.m. ET	Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

Okay, now we can get to the stuff besides the good stuff, otherwise known as the rest of the schedule.

But don't worry. I may be downplaying the quality of the other games on the Sunday Night Football slate, but the truth is that there are plenty of gems to be found. Better yet, flexible scheduling kicks in at Week 11, so any duds late in the season could be replaced.

For now, here is what the full Sunday Night Football Schedule looks like.

Week	Date and Time	Teams
Week 1*	Sep. 8, 8:30 p.m. ET	New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers
Week 1	Sep. 11, 8:20 p.m. ET	Dallas Cowboys at New York Jets
Week 2	Sep. 18, 8:20 p.m. ET	Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons
Week 3	Sep. 25, 8:20 p.m. ET	Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts
Week 4	Oct. 2, 8:20 p.m. ET	New York Jets at Baltimore Ravens
Week 5	Oct. 9, 8:20 p.m. ET	Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons
Week 6	Oct. 16, 8:20 p.m. ET	Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
Week 7	Oct. 23, 8:20 p.m. ET	Indianapolis Colts at New Orleans Saints
Week 8	Oct. 30, 8:20 p.m. ET	Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
Week 9	Nov. 6, 8:20 p.m. ET	Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 10	Nov. 13, 8:20 p.m. ET	New England Patriots at New York Jets
Week 11	Nov. 20, 8:20 p.m. ET	Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants
Week 12	Nov. 27, 8:20 p.m. ET	Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs
Week 13	Dec. 4, 8:20 p.m. ET	Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots
Week 14	Dec. 11, 8:20 p.m. ET	New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys
Week 15	Dec. 18, 8:20 p.m. ET	Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chargers
Week 16	Dec. 25, 8:20 p.m. ET	Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers
Week 17	Jan. 1	TBD

In case you're wondering, the asterisked Week 1 matchup is Thursday night's season opener. Technically, it's a Sunday Night Football broadcast.

In any case, one look at the above schedule will no doubt tell you everything you need to know about why I'm so excited about SNF this year. Each week will feature a premium matchup, and that's a win for us.

So get excited, folks. Football is coming.