An (Sorta) Educated Guess at the Seahawks' 2011 Schedule

See you there (again)?

Despite the lockout, word is that the 2011 NFL regular season schedule will be released within the next week- and at this point I'm still going to proceed as if the season is going to start on time, on Thursday, September 8. One BIG assumption I am going to make about the league schedule overall is that the NFL will avoid divisional matchups the first couple of weeks, in case those slates of games get wiped out by a (brief) work stoppage. In a similar vein, I expect December/January to be even MORE loaded with divisional matchups than last year.

Another team-specific assumption is that the Seahawks will be hitting the road weeks 1, 2 and 6- Why? First, the Mariners have games at Safeco at 1 pm on Sunday September 11 and Sunday September 18. There's NO WAY that they'll have Seahawks games at Qwest simultaneously. Yes, we could be on MNF kickoff weekend or week 2, but like Mal Reynolds once said "That's a long wait for a train don't come." (I DO think we'll be on MNF this year, but not in one of those marquee slots week 1 or 2)

Why the road (or maybe a bye) week 6? The Sounders have a game at 7:30 the night before, and I have to think that's too tight of a window to get everything converted from soccer to football.

So here's our opponents for '11... Here's what I think the schedule might look like (all times Pacific):

9/11 @ Browns (10 am)
9/18 @ Bears (10 am)
9/25 Redskins (1 pm)
10/3 (MNF) Rams (5:30 pm)
10/9 BYE
10/16 @ Steelers (10 am)
10/23 Cardinals (1 pm)
10/30 @ Giants (1 pm)
11/6 Falcons (1 pm)
11/13 @ 49ers (1 pm)
11/17 (NFLN) Ravens (5 pm)
11/27 Bengals (1 pm)
12/4 @ Cowboys (10 am)
12/11 @ Cardinals (1 pm)
12/18 Eagles (1 pm)
12/24 @ Rams (10 am)
1/1/12 49ers (1 pm)

Of course, that almost certainly WON'T be the schedule, but it's fun to speculate, isn't it? I think we get one MNF game and one NFL Network Thursday night game. NFLN LOVES the inter-conference games, so I picked our tilt with the Ravens for that slot. MNF tends more towards divisional matchups, so that's why I put the Rams game there. Hopefully, we will all be shocked and get to open the season on MNF...

Could the NFL screw us? Of course- They could give us all six possible 10 am games (NY teams often play 1 pm pacific home games, so I had our trip out there at that time)... They could put us on a 3-game road trip... they could have us play a bunch of teams coming off bye weeks, etc. But since we'll have to open with two road games, I'm HOPING that'll be the extent of assplowing we receive from the schedule-makers.

What do you think, sirs? Is my stab at the schedule at least plausible? Let me know if I messed anything major up.