Lockout's impact will linger in NFL 2011

Following the opener at Lambeau Field, the NFL will stage remembrances at all of its games of the terrorist attacks of 2001. With that in mind, the Giants are scheduled to play at the Redskins, the Jets are hosting the Cowboys, and the Steelers are at the Ravens, covering teams with ties to areas where the impact of the attacks was felt immediately.

The league and the players' union have pledged $1 million in donations to three Sept. 11 memorials and two charities.

For months, there was some doubt if games would even be played as scheduled. Instead, the only victim of the longest work stoppage in NFL history was the exhibition Hall of Fame game.

The lockout seems to have whetted the appetites of fans even more. Expectations are for TV ratings to continue to outdo everything else, and for the NFL, even in the wake of one of its ugliest periods, to remain the king of American sports.

AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi and Sports Writers Chris Jenkins in Green Bay and Brett Martel in New Orleans contributed to this story.