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. So here are the 10 most intense NFL rivalries in NFL history.:
Raiders vs. Steelers
All Time Series: 17-16 Steelers
Raiders vs. Steelers is the closest rivalry on this list in terms of record, with the Raiders holding a slim 17-16 all-time lead. However, there is much more to this rivalry than a slim record. From 1972 to 1976, these teams met annually in the playoffs , with three games being NFC Championships. And these games were some of the most physical and hard-hitting, that have ever been played. One of these games included the immaculate reception, which initially sparked the rivalry, and there's still discourse to this day over whether it was actually a completed pass. In addition, the 1976 NFC Championship game featured a combined 19 future hall of famers from both the Raiders and Steelers.
While little controversy has occurred between the Raiders and Steelers aside from the 1970s, this rivalry has remained competitive in recent years, as 9 of the last 12 Raiders vs. Steelers games have been decided by one score.
Patriots vs. Colts
All Time Series: 53-31 Patriots
From 2001 to 2010, the Patriots and Colts squared off 13 times. But more importantly, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning faced each other 13 times. During these 9 years, with these two QBs having a combined 7 MVP awards and 4 Super Bowls, very few quarterback matchups if any can top that. From the 38-34 midseason barnburner to the Colts' 18-point comeback in the 2007 AFC championship, this rivalry has produced some truly thrilling and intense games. And while the Brady vs. Manning portion of this rivalry is the most notable, many people don't know that these teams were in the same division for over 30 years. The divisional aspect of this rivalry is the primary factor that puts it ahead of other major quarterback rivalries.
Ravens Vs. Steelers
All Time Series: 36-25 Steelers
Few rivalries in the NFL are more bloodthirsty, hard-hitting, and intense than Ravens vs. Steelers. The two teams playing each other twice every season, and both being consistently competitive and in contention is an effective recipe for a rivalry. But these teams haven't just been competitive in relation to the rest of the league, rather their games against each other have also been quite contested, as nearly two-thirds of all Ravens vs. Steelers contests have decided by one score.
While these teams have only played in 4 playoff games, there have been plenty of noteworthy moments of this rivalry during their few playoff games. The 2009 NFC Championship featured a game-winning pick-six for Steelers' safety Troy Polamalu. In 2011, Pittsburgh once again came victorious against their rival in the postseason, with a 31-24 Divisional Round win, rallying from a 21-7 halftime deficit.
Seahawks vs. 49ers
All Time Series: 31-23 Seahawks
The NFC West hasn't had many great rivalries, but 49ers vs. Seahawks was easily one of the NFL's best during its peak. However, there's more to this rivalry than just 49ers vs. Seahawks, it was also Pete Carroll vs. Jim Harbaugh. The two head coaches began hating each other in college, and they brought that rivalry with them to the NFL During the early 2010s, Pete Carrol's Seahawks and Harbaugh's 49ers were constantly competing for the division, and it would take days of nonstop talking trying to mention every single insult or petty postgame handshake between the two coaches.
In 2013, the rivalry reached its climax, as the Seahawks and 49ers faced each other in the NFC Championship, a winner-take-all game to go to the Super Bowl. And unsurprisingly, it came down to the final play. A last-second pass from 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick to Michael Crabtree was tipped and intercepted by Seahawks corner Richard Sherman. Sherman then produced one of the most iconic postgame interviews: "Well, I'm the best corner in the game. When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree, that's the result you're gonna get!"
Packers vs. Bears
All Time Series: 18-95-6 Packers
The first-ever NFL ejection occurred in a Packers vs. Bears game, which tells you all you need to know about this historic rivalry. Or perhaps Packers' defensive lineman Charles Martin keeping a hit list of Bears players he wanted to knock out. Chicago dominated this rivalry during the 30s and 40s, which was followed by a 15-5 Packers record against the Bears during the Vince Lombardi era. While the Bears reasserted their command during the 1980s, and the Packers stuffing manure into Chicago's locker room didn't do much to change that. However, the Brett Favre trade caused Green Bay to score a whopping 47-15 record against their hated rivals since then.
Surprisingly, the Bears and Packers have only played each other in the playoffs twice, but the week 17 game in 2013 should count as the playoffs . The stakes of this game were that the winning team would automatically be in the playoffs, and the losing team going home. The winner-take-all matchup featured a game-winning fourth down hail mary from Aaron Rodgers to Randall Cobb with 48 seconds remaining.
Cowboys vs. 49ers
All Time Series: 21-19-1 49ers
Barely trailing the Packers and 49ers, the Cowboys and 49ers have played each other the second-most times in the playoffs of any pair of teams, with 9 postseason matchups. And these 9 matchups have not failed to give us some of the most significant and tense moments in NFL history. The 1972 Divisional Round featured a 15-point fourth-quarter comeback by the Cowboys, resulting in a 30-28 nail-biting win for Dallas. "The Catch" in the 1982 NFC Championship essentially solidified the 49ers as the team of the 1980s, over an equally star-studded Cowboys squad.
These two teams then battled in three straight NFC Championship games in the early 90s, in which Dallas bested their rivals two times out of three. More controversy took place in an infamous 2000 game where Terrell Owens placed the football on the Dallas Star in midfield, which the Cowboys did not take kindly. After a 20-year hiatus, the rivalry returned in the 2021 Wild Card Round, where San Francisco edged out Dallas with a controversial last-second ending. The two teams played their most recent playoff game a year later, where the 49ers once again won in nail-biting fashion, this time 19-12.
Raiders vs. Chiefs
All Time Series: 72-54-2 Chiefs
Raiders vs. Chiefs is undoubtedly one of the most bitter divisional rivalries in NFL history. Although the rivalry has been rather lackluster in recent years, that doesn't erase the history behind it, and there still have been some memorable moments in the past 5 years. The main inciting incident that sparked this rivalry was Raiders' defender Ben Davidson putting a late helmet hit on Chiefs' quarterback Len Dawson after he had run for a game-sealing first down. However, Davidson's cheap shot caused a brawl between the two teams, which caused personal foul penalties on both teams. The penalties offset, thus Kansas City had to replay the 3rd down play. The Chiefs did not convert, and the Raiders then tied the game and won in overtime. Davidson's hit was legal for some reason, but the NFL had to make a rule that penalized late hits on quarterbacks.
More recently though, the Raiders had the bright idea of having a team meeting on the Chiefs' logo during the pregame of a 2021 game. It's as if they learned nothing from previous instances of teams prancing on their opponents' logos. And, unsurprisingly, the Chiefs scored a fumble return touchdown on the game's first play. The 48-6 final score in favor of Kansas City shows that there is still beef with these two teams.
Packers vs. Cowboys
All Time Series: 22-17 Packers
No non-divisional NFL rivalry has stood the test of time like Packers Vs. Cowboys. And this rivalry hasn't merely stood the test of time, but rather it's as heated now as it's ever been. The Packers and Cowboys battled each other in 1966 to go to the first-ever Super Bowl, which ended in a 34-27 Green Bay victory. A year later, these teams met again in the famous "Ice Bowl", with the Packers winning another nailbiter, 21-17. However, the Cowboys beating the Packers in 3 straight years in the playoffs allowed Dallas to get even with Green Bay.
Fast forward to the 2014 Divisional Round, where the Packers edged out the Cowboys on the highly controversial Dez Bryant catch that was curiously ruled incomplete. Even more playoff drama ensued just two years later, with Aaron Rodgers to Jared Cook for a 3rd and 20 conversion, sending Dallas home again. And in a non-playoff 2022 matchup, Aaron Rodgers staged a comeback 31-28 victory over his former head coach, Mike McCarthy. In the 2023 Wild Card Round, the most recent matchup of these teams, the Cowboys had the opportunity to beat a very beatable Packers team at home. Despite no longer facing their tormenter Aaron Rodgers, they still choked with a blowout loss.
Eagles vs Commanders
All Time Series: 89-85-5 Commanders
The Eagles and Commanders have had a quarrel dating back to the 1930s that doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon. No NFL rivalry has had more players playing for both sides, with DeSean Jackson, Donovan McNabb, and Art Monk, all getting revenge on their former teams.
In a 1990 regular season matchup, Eagles' head coach Buddy Ryan claimed that his team would, "brutalize Washington so badly that players would leave in body bags". Ryan was true to his word, with ten Commanders players leaving the game due to injury. This rivalry has been mostly dominated by Philly as of late, although Eagles fans might still be salty after Washington spoiled their perfect season in 2022 . And maybe the benches at FedEx field collapsing on Eagles' QB Jalen Hurts also added more fuel to the fire.
Commanders vs. Cowboys
All Time Series: 79-48-2 Cowboys
Commanders Vs. Cowboys is a rivalry where even in a meaningless week 18 game with backups playing, these teams would somehow end up throwing punches. In fact, in a charity flag football game with former players, the two teams almost got into a fight because the game got quite competitive. Former Commanders' head coach George Allen evidently intensified this rivalry, as he would openly talk to the press about his hatred for the Cowboys and refused to call his player Dallas Hickman, by his first name.
Allen's Commanders were also able to beat their rivals in the NFC Championship game, eventually winning Super Bowl XVII. Recently, this rivalry has shifted entirely in the favor of Dallas, with the Cowboys winning 13 of their last 17 games against Washington. The Cowboys continued that dominance on Sunday with a 34-26 upset victory in Washington thanks to a missed extra point by Commanders' kicker Austin Siebert.
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