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The 2011 schedule has been released. Of course, we’re all hoping football will be played this season and we're keeping the faith.

Here’s the schedule, followed by some quick thoughts about this critical season for the Giants and Tom Coughlin. A full analysis with five games to watch and my game-by-game predictions are right here.

(All times ET.)

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 11 at Washington, 4:15 p.m. FOX

Sept. 19 ST. LOUIS (Monday night), 8:30 p.m. ESPN

Sept. 25 at Philadelphia, 1 p.m. FOX

OCTOBER

Oct. 2 at Arizona, 4:05 p.m. FOX

Oct. 9 SEATTLE, 1 p.m. FOX

Oct. 16 BUFFALO, 1 p.m. CBS

Oct. 23 BYE

Oct. 30 MIAMI, 1 p.m. CBS

NOVEMBER

Nov. 6 at New England, 4:15 p.m. FOX

Nov. 13 at San Francisco, 4:15 p.m. FOX

Nov. 20 PHILADELPHIA, 8:20 p.m. NBC

Nov. 28 at New Orleans (Monday night), 8:30 p.m. ESPN

DECEMBER

Dec. 4 GREEN BAY, 4:15 p.m. FOX

Dec. 11 at Dallas, 8:20 p.m. NBC

Dec. 18 WASHINGTON, 1 p.m. FOX

Dec. 24 at Jets (Saturday), 1 p.m. FOX

JANUARY

Jan. 1 DALLAS, 1 p.m. FOX

9/11 OPENER: There were rumblings about the Giants opening with the Jets for 9/11, but Giants-Redskins in D.C. is just as honorable as the NFL pays its respects to those affected by the attacks in New York and Washington. As for the game, will Donovan McNabb be a Redskin and will he be the starting quarterback?

RETURN OF THE SPAGS: The second game of the season will be against old friend and former defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Can't wait (said in Bart Scott voice) to see what Perry Fewell will have up his sleeves for Sam Bradford and Spags.

DODGE BALL: It's a good bet that Coughlin will spend some time in practice punting out of bounds before the Week 3 rematch with the Eagles. All eyes will be on Matt Dodge, if he holds on to the job out of camp, and Fewell, who will have to devise a Michael Vick scheme that lasts eight more minutes.

ANOTHER QUICK START? It’s always dangerous to predict five months ahead of time, especially with a lockout going on and free agency still on the shelf, but it’s conceivable the Giants could get off to another quick start out of the gate.

Because they are a veteran team that kept its coaching staff intact and hopes to bring back most of its core free-agent players, the Giants could go into the bye week with a 5-1 record. The Redskins, Rams, Cardinals, Seahawks and Bills combined to go 29-51 last season.

ANOTHER TOUGH FINISH: Of course, quick starts have often been followed by poor finishes for the Giants. The schedule gets much more difficult after the bye. Miami will not be easy. The Giants then have to travel to New England for a rematch of Super Bowl XLII.

After visiting Jim Harbaugh’s Niners in S.F., the Giants enter a brutal four-game stretch against the Eagles (revisiting the scene of the collapse at the New Meadowlands last year), at the Saints (Drew Brees and the Saints carved up the Giants in 2009 here), the Packers (remember what Aaron Rodgers did to them last year?) and then a trip to Dallas.

They play the Cowboys twice in the last four weeks, and there’s a Christmas Eve game against Rex Ryan and the Jets, which will be one of their stiffest tests of the season.

Without a doubt, the Giants’ playoff fate and likely Coughlin’s fate will be decided in the last seven games, which might not be pretty. Another collapse will not be tolerated by Giants ownership.

Tell us what you think of the schedule, my prediction and give us your prediction below.