# 2011 NFL season
The 2011 NFL season was the 92nd regular season of the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league), played from September 8, 2011 to January 1, 2012 after a 132-day player lockout ended with a new ten-year collective bargaining agreement. It was one of the highest-scoring seasons in league history and the first under a kickoff rule change that moved kickoffs to the 35-yard line to reduce concussions.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Lockout | Began March 12, 2011, the longest work stoppage in league history; lasted 132 days before a new CBA was agreed on July 25[1](https://www.theoffside.com/nfl/2011/7/25/2292223/nfl-lockout-labor-cba) • [2](https://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl-lockout-timeline-013300235--nfl.html) |
| New CBA | Ten-year agreement signed August 4, 2011 by Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith[3](https://www.profootballhof.com/football-history/football-history/2010-2019/2011) |
| Kickoff change | Kickoffs moved to the 35-yard line; kickoff concussions fell 50 percent by one league committee account and about 43 percent by an independent study[4](https://www.nfl.com/news/concussions-on-kickoff-plays-down-50-percent-in-2011-09000d5d827057f3) • [5](https://www.nfl.com/news/concussions-decline-after-change-to-kickoff-rule-0ap1000000047303) |
| Scoring record | 11,356 points scored league-wide, the most of any season in NFL history[3](https://www.profootballhof.com/football-history/football-history/2010-2019/2011) |
| Individual records | Drew Brees passed for 5,476 yards; Aaron Rodgers led the league with a 122.5 passer rating[3](https://www.profootballhof.com/football-history/football-history/2010-2019/2011) |
| Best regular-season record | Green Bay Packers, 15-1, the only team with more than 13 wins[6](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2011/reg) |
| Champion | The 9-7 New York Giants won Super Bowl XLVI on February 5, 2012 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis[6](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2011/reg) • [7](https://www.nfl.com/news/2011-team-by-team-opponents-09000d5d81d70273) |
## The lockout and the new CBA
The season was shaped by labor conflict before a single game was played. The NFL had said it would opt out of its collective bargaining agreement with the [NFL Players Association](https://www.edgepedia.org/nfl-players-association) after the 2010-11 season, arguing its costs were too high and it needed givebacks from the players; the 2010 season was played without a salary cap[8](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/chronology-how-the-nfl-lockout-unfolded). A federal judge, David Doty, ruled that the NFL's contracts with television networks to collect $4 billion even if no games were played in 2011 amounted to "lockout insurance"[8](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/chronology-how-the-nfl-lockout-unfolded).
The lockout officially began on March 12, 2011, becoming the longest work stoppage in league history[1](https://www.theoffside.com/nfl/2011/7/25/2292223/nfl-lockout-labor-cba). It lasted 132 days before the sides reached a full agreement on the new collective bargaining agreement[2](https://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl-lockout-timeline-013300235--nfl.html). During the stoppage the NFL canceled its annual Rookie Symposium, the first league-sponsored event lost to the lockout[1](https://www.theoffside.com/nfl/2011/7/25/2292223/nfl-lockout-labor-cba). On August 4, 2011, on the steps of the [Pro Football Hall of Fame](https://www.edgepedia.org/pro-football-hall-of-fame) in [Canton, Ohio](https://www.edgepedia.org/canton-ohio), Goodell and Smith announced a comprehensive settlement of litigation and signed a new ten-year CBA[3](https://www.profootballhof.com/football-history/football-history/2010-2019/2011).
The agreement had measurable effects beyond labor peace. It placed a number of contact and quantity limitations on practices and workouts; one analysis found conditioning-dependent injuries rose from 197 in 2007 to 271 in 2011, a 38 percent rise, but settled at 220 to 240 injuries per season thereafter[9](https://arxiv.org/abs/1805.01271).
## Kickoff rule change and concussions
For 2011 the league moved kickoffs up to the 35-yard line, a change intended to produce more touchbacks and fewer returns. Hunt Batjer, co-chair of the NFL Head, Neck & Spine Committee, said the 2011 season had 50 percent fewer concussions on kickoff plays, attributing the drop to a decreased number of runbacks, while noting the change "did not affect a lot of the other injuries paradoxically"[4](https://www.nfl.com/news/concussions-on-kickoff-plays-down-50-percent-in-2011-09000d5d827057f3).
An independent study of injury data provided by the NFL Players Association, conducted by the consulting firm Edgeworth Economics, put the decline slightly lower: Jesse David, the firm's senior vice president, said concussions reported on kickoffs decreased by about 43 percent from 2010 to 2011[5](https://www.nfl.com/news/concussions-decline-after-change-to-kickoff-rule-0ap1000000047303). The safety rationale was grounded in the kickoff's injury profile; the league has stated that players had approximately four times the risk of concussion on the kickoff compared with running or passing plays[10](https://www.nfl.com/playerhealthandsafety/equipment-and-innovation/rules-changes/better-rules-to-build-a-better-game). The 2011 rules also expanded the list of "defenseless players" to include a kicker or punter during the kick or return, a quarterback at any time after a change of possession, and a player receiving a blindside block from behind or the side[11](https://operations.nfl.com/media/2700/nfl-2017-kickoff-guide.pdf).
## On-field records and the season
The regular season opened on Thursday night, September 8, and concluded on January 1, with Wild Card Weekend on January 7-8, divisional games January 14-15, and the conference championship games on January 22[7](https://www.nfl.com/news/2011-team-by-team-opponents-09000d5d81d70273). Teams played a 16-game schedule under the rotation formula adopted in 2002: six division games, four against a rotating division within the conference, four against a division in the other conference, and two intraconference games matched by the prior year's standings[7](https://www.nfl.com/news/2011-team-by-team-opponents-09000d5d81d70273).
Scoring reached historic levels. The league's 32 teams combined for 11,356 points, the most of any season in NFL history[3](https://www.profootballhof.com/football-history/football-history/2010-2019/2011). Drew Brees of New Orleans passed for 5,476 yards, and Aaron Rodgers of Green Bay led the league with a 122.5 passer rating[3](https://www.profootballhof.com/football-history/football-history/2010-2019/2011).
The standings reflected the offensive surge. Green Bay finished 15-1, the league's only team with more than 13 wins, scoring 560 points; New Orleans, San Francisco, and New England each went 13-3, with the Saints scoring 547 points[6](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2011/reg). At the other end, [Indianapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/indianapolis) and the Rams finished 2-14[6](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2011/reg).
The playoffs rewarded the hottest team rather than the best regular-season record. The 9-7 [New York Giants](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-giants), who had a negative point differential of minus 6 in the regular season, won [Super Bowl XLVI](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-xlvi), played February 5, 2012 at [Lucas Oil Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/lucas-oil-stadium) in Indianapolis[6](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2011/reg) • [7](https://www.nfl.com/news/2011-team-by-team-opponents-09000d5d81d70273).
## League business and other events
The season carried off-field milestones. On September 11, teams, players, and fans marked the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks with tributes in each stadium and on television during all games[3](https://www.profootballhof.com/football-history/football-history/2010-2019/2011). [Al Davis](https://www.edgepedia.org/al-davis), the [Oakland Raiders](https://www.edgepedia.org/oakland-raiders)' owner and Hall of Famer, died at 82 on October 8[3](https://www.profootballhof.com/football-history/football-history/2010-2019/2011).
Broadcasting and ownership changed during the season. On September 8 the NFL announced an eight-year extension with ESPN for Monday Night Football through 2021; on December 14 it reached nine-year extensions of its Sunday packages with CBS, FOX, and NBC through 2022, which also expanded the Thursday night [NFL Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/nfl-network) package from eight to 13 games for 2012[3](https://www.profootballhof.com/football-history/football-history/2010-2019/2011). On October 11, owners approved continuing regular-season games in the United Kingdom through 2016, and on December 14 they unanimously approved the transfer of the [Jacksonville Jaguars](https://www.edgepedia.org/jacksonville-jaguars) from Wayne Weaver to businessman [Shahid Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/shahid-khan)[3](https://www.profootballhof.com/football-history/football-history/2010-2019/2011).
The prior season's [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl) also produced a lingering aftermath. About 15,000 temporary seats had been added at [Super Bowl XLV](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-xlv) in the 2011 calendar year to push attendance toward roughly 105,000, which would have topped the 103,985 at the Rose Bowl for the 1980 Super Bowl; some fans were displaced, and 246 of them accepted seats at the following year's game in Indianapolis[12](https://www.nfl.com/news/only-246-fans-displaced-at-2011-super-bowl-took-seats-for-xlvi-09000d5d82692a98).
## References
1. [NFL Lockout And How We Got Here: Timeline To A New CBA, SB Nation](https://www.theoffside.com/nfl/2011/7/25/2292223/nfl-lockout-labor-cba)
2. [NFL lockout timeline, Yahoo Sports](https://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl-lockout-timeline-013300235--nfl.html)
3. [2011, Pro Football Hall of Fame](https://www.profootballhof.com/football-history/football-history/2010-2019/2011)
4. [Concussions on kickoff plays down 50 percent in 2011, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/concussions-on-kickoff-plays-down-50-percent-in-2011-09000d5d827057f3)
5. [Concussions decline after change to kickoff rule, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/concussions-decline-after-change-to-kickoff-rule-0ap1000000047303)
6. [2011 NFL League Standings, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2011/reg)
7. [2011 team-by-team opponents, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/2011-team-by-team-opponents-09000d5d81d70273)
8. [Chronology: How the NFL lockout unfolded, FOX Sports](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/chronology-how-the-nfl-lockout-unfolded)
9. [NFL Injuries Before and After the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement, arXiv](https://arxiv.org/abs/1805.01271)
10. [Better Rules to Build a Better Game, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/playerhealthandsafety/equipment-and-innovation/rules-changes/better-rules-to-build-a-better-game)
11. [NFL 2017 Kickoff Guide, NFL Football Operations](https://operations.nfl.com/media/2700/nfl-2017-kickoff-guide.pdf)
12. [Only 246 fans displaced at 2011 Super Bowl took seats for XLVI, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/only-246-fans-displaced-at-2011-super-bowl-took-seats-for-xlvi-09000d5d82692a98)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › National Football League › NFL teams and franchises*
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