There's only one thing better than watching your favorite NFL team win: watching your least favorite NFL team lose. There have been some truly great NFL rivalries that have stood the test of time, and some new ones have sparked as well. And it just so happens that three of the rivalries on this list played each other last Sunday. So here are the 10 biggest NFL rivalries in 2024:
Chiefs vs. Bills:
The Chiefs vs. Bills rivalry has lasted only seven games, and yet no rivalry in the NFL in recent years has topped the competitiveness, intensity, and blood between these two teams. During these seven games, we have witnessed two of the NFL's most exciting quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, battle it out on primetime. And three of the seven games occurring in the playoffs have only added to the intensity and excitement. However, the most notable game between these two teams occurred in the 2021 Divisional Round, where 31 of the game's total 78 points were scored in the final two minutes, causing it to be dubbed "the greatest playoff game in NFL history." Just a few days ago, the Bills handed Kansas City their first loss of the 2024 season in a 30-21 win. You can only watch these Bills vs. Chiefs games for yourself to accurately know how great of a rivalry it is.
Ravens vs. Steelers:
Similarly to the Chiefs vs. Bills, the Ravens playing the Steelers is always must-see TV. And coincidentally enough, those teams played each other last Sunday. The Steelers vs. Ravens game a few days ago felt exactly like every other Steelers vs. Ravens game, ending with a Steelers win in an 18-16 defensive slugfest. Although the Ravens have generally been the better team over the years, Pittsburgh has won nine of their last ten matchups with Baltimore. Nevertheless, every one of those nine games were decided by a single score. If that doesn't create a great rivalry, then I don't what does.
The Steelers have averaged 17 points per game during their last seven games against Baltimore, while the Ravens have averaged just 13.5, making this the most defensive and low-scoring rivalry in the NFL. The Steelers vs. Ravens game on Sunday felt exactly like every other Steelers vs. Ravens game, ending with a Steelers win in an 18-16 defensive slugfest. There just aren't any teams in the NFL that hate each other more than the Steelers and Ravens.
Packers vs. Bears:
The undisputed best NFL rivalry of all time is unsurprisingly still intense today. While the Packers have won ten in a row against Chicago, the fights have not stopped, the trash talk has not stopped, and the hate has not stopped. The Packers' 20-point fourth-quarter comeback, "I Still Own You!", and Khalil Mack imitating Aaron Rodgers's belt celebration are some of the most recent notable moments in this rivalry. However, the young QBs Jordan Love and Caleb Williams will be the face of this rivalry for the next decade, and hopefully, they give us some memorable moments when they play each other. Nonetheless, the first ever Jordan Love vs. Caleb Williams matchup last Sunday did not disappoint. The 20-19 back-and-forth affair was won by Green Bay thanks to a blocked field goal on the final play of regulation.
Cowboys vs. Eagles:
Cowboys vs. Eagles is another old rivalry that has remained strong in recent years. While these teams are not geographically close, the divisional aspect and history have been the main glue in keeping this rivalry together. And then add in the fact that Cowboys vs. Eagles games have usually decided the NFC East division champion, and you get one of the ten best rivalries in the NFL. The best recent moments from this rivalry include the controversial 28-23 Eagles victory, where the Cowboys were a few feet from winning the game, and Philly won with some help from the refs. The Cowboys winning an epic 40-34 shootout in week 16 of 2022 was another prominent moment.
Chiefs vs. Bengals:
The Chiefs have been the most dominant NFL team of the 2020s thus far, but there's one team that always gives the defending Super Bowl champions a run for their money. And seeing two of the NFL's best quarterbacks (Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes) go head-to-head is always exciting. The rivalry began with an upset 34-31 win for Cincinnati over a scorching Chiefs team down the stretch of the 2021 season. Just one month later, the two teams would meet again in the AFC championship. Leading 21-10 with 5 seconds left in the first half, the Chiefs got cocky and decided to go for the 1-yard touchdown instead of the field goal, and they got stopped. Kansas City lost that game by three points. After the Bengals were blatantly disrespected, they mounted a comeback and did something that very few NFL defenses have done: They made Patrick Mahomes look human.
After the Bengals beat the Chiefs again in the following regular season, both teams again played in the AFC Championship. But this time, the Bengals got too cocky, with multiple players calling Arrowhead Stadium "Burrowhead" prior to the matchup. The Chiefs played extra hard and won 23-20. With the refs essentially handing the Chiefs the game in this rivalry's 2024 matchup, you can bet that Cincinnati will be out for blood next time they play Kansas City.
While Packers vs. Bears is considered the primary NFC North rivalry, many people aren't aware of just how intense the Packers vs. Vikings rivalry is. It's always exciting when these two bordering states battle each other twice a year. This is also the most evenly-matched rivalry on this list, with both teams sharing a 5-5 record against the other in their last ten matchups, and the Packers barely edging out Minnesota all-time, 66-59-3.
Ravens vs. Bengals:
This divisional rivalry is often overlooked, but once you watch a few recent Ravens vs. Bengals games, you'll realize just how intense this rivalry is. What makes this rivalry superior to many other division rivalries is its competitiveness, with 4 of the last 5 Ravens vs. Bengals matchups being decided by one score. Seeing Joe Burrow vs. Lamar Jackson is always thrilling, and it is truly a blessing that we get to watch those games twice a year.
In the most recent rendition of this rivalry, Baltimore edged out Cincinnati, 35-34, but not without some controversy. The refs missed a clear facemask penalty on Nnamdi Madubuike on a potential game-winning two-point conversion for the Bengals, which will only make this rivalry more tense.
While the Eagles have mostly dominated the Giants in recent years, that hasn't stopped these two teams from despising each other, as well as Philly's thin 93-88-1 lead over New York. In the final game of the 2020 season, Eagles' head coach Doug Pederson put in backup QB Nate Sudfeld late in the close game to purposely lose against the Commanders, putting Washington in the playoffs and the Giants out. This infuriated the Giants, which fueled a 13-7 win in their following game against Philly.
But just a few years later, Giants' star running back Saquon Barkley became a free agent, and of all the teams he could've chosen to play for, he chose none other than the Eagles. When the Eagles played the Giants 7 months after the signing, it was no coincidence that Barkley ran for a staggering 176 yards in a revenge game. And to add salt to the Giant's wound, Eagles fans chanted "Thank you, Giants" during the game.
49ers vs. Cowboys:
One of the NFL's oldest non-division rivalries is still quite prevalent today. Although the most intense matchups between these two teams have come in the playoffs, with the 2021 Wild Card round definitely sparking some bad blood. With 14 seconds remaining in regulation, the 49ers leading 23-17, the Cowboys curiously ran a designed run. After Dak Prescott ran too long, the Cowboys did not have enough time to spike the ball, thus ending the game. While the Cowboys got in position to spike the ball, they hadn't let the ref touch it before the play, which is required. By the time the ref placed the football, the game clock had hit zero.
The heartbreaking playoff loss only gave the following year's divisional round more weight, as Dallas attempted to beat the team that had ended their previous season. But the 49ers edged out the Cowboys 19-12 in the 2022 divisional round, adding more fuel to the fire. San Francisco outplayed the Cowboys in their next two matchups, making this less of a rivalry and more of an ownership.
When you have two teams that are always competitive, always have star-studded rosters, and are only 350 miles apart, a great rivalry is inevitable. It's not just a rivalry between the 49ers and Rams; it's a rivalry between Northern and Southern California.
The sheer amount of pro bowlers and elite talent present on the field when these two teams play is simply unmatched compared to any other NFL rivalry. Christian McCaffrey, Aaron Donald, Fred Warner, Deebo Samuel, Jalen Ramsey, and Kyren Williams, are just a handful of those elite talents that have battled each other over the years. What makes this rivalry furthermore intense is seeing two of the NFL's best head coaches and former colleagues (Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay) try to outduel each other.
The most pivotal point of this rivalry has to be the 2021 NFC Championship, in which the Rams edged out San Francisco, 20-17, in a comeback victory to go to the Super Bowl.
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