The NFL may be in a lockout right now, but plans for the 2011 season are still moving forward as if nothing was wrong. Last week, the 2011 NFL preseason schedule was announced with the intent that a new CBA will be in place in time for games to be played this upcoming summer. On Tuesday night, the entire 2011 NFL regular season schedule will be made public, once again with the intent that a deal will be done before any games are threatened.
The teams on the Detroit Lions' 2011 schedule are already known. The Lions will host the Packers, Bears, Vikings, Falcons, Panthers, 49ers, Chiefs and Chargers. Detroit will go on the road to play the three divisional opponents, as well as the Saints, Buccaneers, Cowboys, Broncos and Raiders.
The annual hoopla around the release of the NFL's schedule is always interesting for Lions fans simply because they get to find out when Detroit will take on their opponents. Last year, for example, it was interesting to find out that the Lions had divisional road games in three of the first four weeks of the season and all of their home division games in December and January.
This year, the most interesting thing is expected to be whether or not the Lions will get a nationally televised game that isn't on Thanksgiving. It has been 10 years since the Lions last took part in a Monday Night Football game, and many fans (myself included) are expecting that to change this season. We will find out tonight, and I can tell you right now that there will be a lot of disappointed Lions fans if Detroit isn't playing host to a Monday Night Football game involving their team in 2011.