2011 NFL Schedule: 10 Games That Will Determine Who Makes the Playoffs

Fans can be notorious for reading too much into one game, but the overall picture of the season has already started to clarify at the end of Week 2.

Most teams have established their identities by now, and those that haven't can probably start putting together their draft boards. Thus, it is a good time to look at the remaining games of the 2011 NFL schedule and highlight those that should determine the playoff picture.

Fans of some teams are going to be upset that their squads are already being written off, but it is time to start worrying about what really matters—the playoffs. 

The following slides identify the games that should have the biggest impact on determining the uncertain entrants. Some liberties are taken with teams deemed to be locks in order to trim down the list. 

10. Chicago Bears at Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London

The NFL is attempting to make amends to the British for the tea fiasco a couple centuries ago by finally sending them a decent game. Although, if the Brits get too uppity, Roger Goodell should send the New England Patriots over there as a reminder. 

This Week 7 matchup provides these two teams, who are each arguably third in their respective divisions, a chance to get a potential advantage in any Wild Card tiebreaker scenarios.

It is completely conceivable that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will end up third behind the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. For that reason alone, the Bucs cannot give up any games to possible Wild Card rivals.

Similarly, the Chicago Bears are in an equally disadvantageous division with the returning champion Green Bay Packers and the fast-rising Detroit Lions.

In-conference wins are crucial in order to advance to the postseason. 

9. Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans

Due to some key injuries, two franchises starving for the playoffs have new-found opportunities.

The Houston Texans are looking to take that final step into the playoffs after so many years of mediocrity. Peyton Manning's neck is solely responsible for opening up the AFC South after their long run of dominance, and the Texans already have a head start on filling the void.

Meanwhile, the Oakland Raiders came into this season with hopes of challenging for the AFC West division title after sweeping their division games last year. The Kansas City Chiefs have fallen apart after suffering some difficult injuries, but the San Diego Chargers should bring home the division title. 

Therefore, this conference battle could determine which of these two teams will finally be able to get over the hump.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers at San Francisco 49ers

The other team from the Bay area is back in the playoff mix—a position that the Steelers seemingly always seem to achieve.

It's been quite a while for the 49ers, but the NFC West is pathetic and it is not unprecedented to enter the playoffs with a losing record. A weak division, coupled with a sneaky good defense led by Patrick Willis, means that possibilities abound for the San Francisco 49ers to host a playoff game.

This late in the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be fighting with the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC North. Baltimore and Pittsburgh are quite similar and will probably both end up in the 10- to 12-win range.

7. Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions

Perhaps the picture of Jim Mora should have been saved for this particular slide, but Detroit is indeed talking playoffs.

Both the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions entered this season with high hopes.

Detroit has validated the hype with a convincing win over the similarly situated Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as well as a thorough dismantling of the Kansas City Chiefs. Their running game, however, has not stood out, and the Lions have had to depend on their passing game more than they would like.

The Atlanta Falcons stumbled out of the blocks and were soundly beaten by a confusing Chicago Bears squad. Yet they rebounded by pulling out a comeback victory against the Michael Vick-less Philadelphia Eagles.

Each team either plays in a division with the current defending champ or the prior defending champ, so this game figures to have a large impact on the playoff picture.

6. Dallas Cowboy at Washington Redskins

The Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins have never needed any extra fuel for the fire when these bitter rivals meet. The intensity in this particular matchup should be at a fever pitch, as both squads should be in contention for the NFC East crown should the Eagles falter.

The more likely scenario is a battle for the coveted Wild Card spots that the rest of the teams on this list are all pining after.

This particular battle occurs in Week 11, when playoff scenarios are being pored over by fans all across the country. There will be no shortage of hype leading up to this game, especially when one takes into account the ever-present "East Coast bias" of the national media.

5. New York Jets at Baltimore Ravens

The New York Jets may be 2-0, but they came within a competent-Tony Romo fourth quarter of starting 1-1 and have a tough road test this week against the Oakland Raiders.

Unfortunately for their playoff chances, they each share their respective division with teams who have combined to win the AFC seven out of the last 10 years.

Baltimore has seized a leg up over their in-division rival by crushing the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1, but no one expects the Steelers to go away quietly.

The Jets will have a difficult time keeping pace with the New England Patriots, and the once-moribund Buffalo Bills have begun to put together some talent around the emerging Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Division titles may already be out of reach for these squads, so the winner of this game will have taken a large step towards securing a Wild Card spot while severely damaging a competitor's chances. 

4. Chicago Bears at Oakland Raiders

The Chicago Bears and Oakland Raiders are not pitted against each other specifically for a playoff spot, but Week 12 will be important for both teams nonetheless.

The running back duel features two of the most underrated backs in the league—Darren McFadden and Matt Forte.

McFadden has picked up right where he left off last year, carrying the Raiders to a much-harder-than-anticipated victory over the Denver Broncos. Their last minute loss to the Buffalo Bills could prove costly, and Oakland must take care not to give up any more games in an already loaded AFC.

Meanwhile, the Bears have already displayed their usual disheartening inconsistency. They rolled over the Atlanta Falcons, but were soundly trounced the following week in New Orleans.

A win here could be the jump start required to make a playoff push over the last month of the season. 

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons

Drew Brees will have probably regained the AFC crown by the time Week 17 arrives, but there is the possibility this game determines who ultimately wins the division.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers started the season slowly against Detroit, but Josh Freeman was able to lead his eighth fourth-quarter comeback in his 27 career starts. However, the Week 1 loss to the Detroit Lions could prove costly in the Wild Card standings. 

The Atlanta Falcons will be battling for one of those two Wild Card spots as well, and even if the division title isn't up for grabs, a trip to either San Francisco or Philadelphia could be on the line. Atlanta has already downed the Eagles in the Georgia Dome, but also fell victim to an NFC North team with playoff aspirations—the Chicago Bears.

If Brees gets injured at any point this season, there is a distinct possibility of a home playoff game for the winner.  

2. Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions

America has been using the Detroit Lions' Thanksgiving Day game to sleep off the booze and turkey for the last decade, but napping will be impossible during this fireworks display.

The Detroit Lions offense has centered around former first-overall pick Matthew Stafford, and the results have been astounding. Trent Dilfer recently broke down film of the young passer, comparing him to his Green Bay counterpart on Twitter.

Aaron Rodgers has already led the Packers to a pair of wins without the benefit of a stalwart defense. Taking into account Charles Woodson's robberies of Cam Newton, the defense has still given up huge chunks of yardage and almost choked away their first game against the New Orleans Saints.

This holiday contest will likely determine the NFC North champion and, possibly, the NFL MVP.

1. Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

The violence created when the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers take the field is reminiscent of the days when "Mean Joe" Greene and Jack Lambert were laying people out.

Pittsburgh will speak all week at press conferences that this may be a rivalry, but they don't have revenge on their collective mind.

They will be lying. 

Baltimore needs to win the division this year, and can make that an almost certainty with a season sweep of Pittsburgh. The Ravens have not been able to beat the Steelers when it really matters, so gaining home-field advantage in the playoffs is critical.

Even if one of these teams wins the division handily, the Wild Card spots in the AFC will be at a premium, since the AFC East already boasts three undefeated teams and the AFC West has two teams capable of challenging for the last spots.