NFL Releases Schedule for 2011-12 Season

While the NFL may still be mired in negotiation to end the current lockout they have released the schedule for the next season, assuming it starts on time. The season will kick off with the past two Super Bowl Champions squaring off on September 8th. The New Orleans Saints will travel to Green Bay to face the Packers on a Thursday night.

Notable games to watch Sunday will also include the Indianapolis Colts at the Houston Texans in a divisional matchup. The Atlanta Falcons will head to Soldier Field in Chicago and take on the Bears. The New York Giants will play the Washington Redskins and the New York Jets will host the Dallas Cowboys. The Jets v. Cowboys game will pit coach Rex Ryan against his brother Rob Ryan, the Cowboys defensive coordinator.

The majority of the games will take place on September 11th. It will be the 10th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Emotions will surely run deep as players and fans remember the tragedy that struck the nation that day and the people who were lost both in the attacks and in the continuing wars in the Middle East.