New York, NY (Sports Network) – The National Football League on Tuesday announced its 17-week, 256-game regular-season schedule for 2011 and it will kick off on Thursday, September 8 when the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers host the New Orleans Saints.
The NFL is currently in a lockout, but that did not deter the league from releasing the slate for its 92nd season.
Kickoff weekend also features 13 Sunday games, highlighted by the prime-time matchup featuring the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Jets. Sunday’s action also includes the AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers visiting the rival Baltimore Ravens.
For the sixth straight season, the opening Monday night features a doubleheader, with the New England Patriots visiting the Miami Dolphins in the early matchup and the Oakland Raiders hosting the Denver Broncos in the later tilt.
Green Bay will see more of the spotlight in 2011, with games on Thanksgiving (at Detroit), Christmas (home vs. Chicago) and New Year’s Day (home against Detroit). They are the first team in history to play on all three holidays.
The Packers will also meet the Bears in Week 3. Green Bay beat Chicago, 21-14, in last year’s NFC Championship game.
Byes begin on the season’s fifth weekend, which features the New York Jets visiting the Patriots. New England will be looking for redemption after losing to the Jets, 28-21, in last year’s divisional round.
Thanksgiving marks the traditional games hosted by Detroit and Dallas. The Lions will welcome the Packers, while the Dolphins visit the Cowboys. In a Turkey Day nightcap, the San Francisco 49ers will play the Ravens in Baltimore.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Bears will continue the league’s regular- season foray overseas, as the two teams will square off at London’s Wembley Stadium on Sunday, October 23.It will be the fifth straight year of NFL action in the United Kingdom.
The Bills will host a game in Canada for a fourth consecutive season when the Washington Redskins trek to Rogers Centre in Toronto on October 30.
The last Monday Night game of the season pits the Falcons against the Saints in a key NFC South matchup. Atlanta won the division last season and got the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Falcons lost to Green Bay in the divisional round, while the fifth-seeded Saints were upset by Seattle in the first round.
In an attempt at curtailing teams from resting starters down the stretch, every Week 17 contest will pit divisional opponents against one another.
Wild card weekend is set for January 7-8, with the Divisional round the following weekend. The AFC and NFC championship games will be played Sunday, January 23.
For the third straight year, the Pro Bowl will be held a week before the Super Bowl. The contest, to be played on January 29, will take place in Honolulu.
Super Bowl XLVI is scheduled for February 5 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
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