The NFL is full of storied rivalries going back decades. Whether it be division rivals that have been going at each other as long as we can remember, or teams who have met when the stakes are highest, these rivalries make the NFL great. Here are the top 12 greatest rivalries in the NFL, past and present, and some of the stories that make them great.
#12. Bengals vs. Browns
This rivalry is the Battle for Ohio, with two teams that are almost as close to each other as two teams can be. It cleanly divides Ohio geographically, and both teams have a strong historical connection through Paul Brown. Brown founded the Bengals for a long time, and you might be able to figure out how he’s connected to the Browns (hint, they’re named after him). They don’t meet in high stakes situations very often, as both teams have historically been pretty bad. But even when they’re not competing for the playoffs, they compete stiffly with each other. They’ve both had their share of dominant eras. Bill Belichick coached the Browns to an 8-2 record against the Bengals in his tenure. Andy Dalton and AJ Green launched a Bengals-dominant era with an 11-4 record in favor of Cincy. Neither team has ever won a Superbowl, but their two games against each other are almost as important for these two Ohio squads.
#11. Broncos vs. Raiders
The Broncos and the Raiders have been division rivals since before the NFL even existed. They were in the AFL West before it became the AFC West, and have hated each other forever. In 1977, the year after the Raiders won the Super Bowl, the Broncos beat them in the regular season and ended their season to go to the Super Bowl themselves. In the 90’s, the Raiders blocked two last-second field goals in a row to win over the Broncos, and also ended the Broncos’ season in their only other playoff meeting since. The rivalry got even worse when legendary coach Mike Shanahan left the Raiders for the Broncos and went on to lead them to back-to-back Super Bowls. As in any rivalry, there have been routs, controversy, and last-minute heroics. When these teams meet twice a year, it’s personal.
#10. Texans vs. Titans
This rivalry is much bigger than the average division matchups. As you can see from these throwback uniforms, the Titans were once known as the Houston Oilers. When they left Houston, the city was left without a team for a while until the Texans joined in an expansion. So not only do these teams play twice a year, but I’m sure Houston fans still have some enmity towards the Titans for skipping town. Houston fans are also bitter that the Titans stole away the Houston Oilers uniform and copyright which they argue belongs to the city of Houston. The players hate each other too, as evidenced by the famous fist fight between Andre Johnson and Cortland Finnigan. It really is perfect that these teams get to battle it out twice a year, and those battles are brutal even if one or both teams doesn’t have a great record.
#9. Bills vs. Chiefs
We’ve all seen this rivalry play out in some of the most thrilling and dramatic playoff games of the last few years. The Chiefs have ended the Bills’ season 4 separate times now, twice in the AFC Championship with a Super Bowl birth on the line. They’ve also become perennial opponents in the regular season, which only feeds the rivalry more. These are undeniably two of the best QBs in the world and two of the best teams in the league. Their history isn’t too long, but we can expect many more epic chapters to be written in the years to come. The Bills are bound to get over the hump eventually, right? Patrick Mahomes can’t keep them down forever… or can they? All we know is that we will have many more barn burners between these two great teams.
#8. Cowboys vs. Eagles
This bitter division rivalry is one of the most famous in the league. It has been featured on Sunday Night Football 16 times, more than any other matchup. Their second meeting ever was in the 1980 NFC Championship Game, which the Eagles won. The next year, during the strike, Cowboys scabs crushed the replacement Eagles, but the Eagles got the moral victory over them later that year when Randall Cunningham ran up the score with a last-second touchdown, winning 37-20. There is no love between these teams; Eagles fans have cheered Cowboys injuries and Cowboys fans have thrown pork chops at the Eagles bench. They even have derogatory nicknames for each other: The Sheagles and the Cowgirls. There have been iconic blowouts like Jason Witten’s helmetless touchdown and the Eagles’ 49-21 win, the highest away total in Texas Stadium. There have been last-minute and overtime heroics, like the overtime matchup between rookies Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz (which Dak won), or when Sam Bradford of all people led the Eagles to a 33-27 overtime win. There have been many players who crossed between teams, none more infamously than Terrell Owens and his star shenanigans. These teams hate each other, and they will meet many, many more times and only grow to hate each other even more.
#7. Colts vs. Patriots
Speaking of legendary battles, these two QBs had their fair share. They ran into each other three times in the playoffs, and thus the rivalry between the two teams was born. Peyton was 1-2 in that matchup and converted the one win into a Super Bowl. For many Colts fans, the Patriots are viewed as a buzz saw that stopped them from winning more championships. For the Patriots, any year they don’t make the Super Bowl was stolen from them unfairly. We will remember these great games and moments forever, and there may be more coming if we ever see two legends like this wear these jerseys again. But either way, these teams will never be fond of each other.
#6. Colts vs. Ravens
This is another case of one team replacing another in the city of Baltimore, but with extra drama. Everyone knows the story of the Colts leaving Baltimore overnight despite insisting they wouldn’t do so. That left many Baltimore fans with a bitter taste in their mouth, and it took another 12 years before they got a new team that could avenge that move.
This rivalry is especially bitter because many former Colts fans became Ravens fans, and there are probably many in the city of Baltimore who still support the Colts. It doesn’t help that both of these teams had amazing eras at the same time and had to get past each other to get to Superbowls. The Colts are 2-1 in the postseason battle and 11-7 overall, but the Ravens got the better of them in the pictured game, and went on to win the Superbowl. While the Colts are a bit down on their luck currently, fans in Indy, Baltimore, and all over the league hope that we can recreate some of the legendary battles these two teams have had.
#5. Patriots vs. Steelers
Yet another rivalry largely fueled by Tom Brady’s greatness, but these teams are tied for the most Super Bowl wins in history. While all 6 of those are Tom Brady’s wins personally, the Steelers have had a much longer history of greatness over the years, especially in the 70’s with Terry Bradshaw. That’s probably why they resent the Patriots grabbing the title of most Super Bowls from under their noses despite being pretty bad historically. Neither team is currently at the top of the food chain like they were in the Brady/Big Ben eras, but they will always be fighting to reclaim the “Most Super Bowl Wins” title from each other. Whichever one finally does it, the other team will hate them all the more.
#4. Cowboys vs. 49ers
With almost as many Super Bowls between them, and perhaps even more iconic matchups, this is both historically and currently an epic rivalry. It was certainly the greatest rivalry of the ’90s, and in terms of postseason moments, these teams have faced more times than any other besides the 49ers and Packers. It intensified initially in the 70s when the Cowboys bested the 9ers in back-to-back NFC Championships and then a Divisional. In 1981, the most iconic moment in the rivalry, “The Catch” took place as the 9ers finally bested the Boys in the NFC Championship.
It heated up even further as these two teams faced off three years in a row in the NFC Championship. This matchup was the de facto Super Bowl for this period, as the winner between the two would win the Championship each year. These two teams are tied for 5 championships, the second most after the Pats and Steelers, and there is once again stiff competition for #6. In the past few years, San Fran has ended the Cowboys’ season repeatedly in the playoffs. Hopefully, we’ll get even more iconic playoff moments between these two in the future. And I know all of my fellow Cowboys fans hope we come out on top of some of them.
#3. Falcons vs. Saints
Anyone from the south can tell you these teams absolutely hate each other. They’re pretty evenly matched too, with a 56-56 overall record in the series. The Falcons are responsible for the Saints biggest lost in franchise history (62-7). The famous Steve Gleason punt block in the first game after Hurricane Katrina was against the Falcons. The Saints even got to celebrate their first game back in New Orleans after the hurricane by crushing the Falcons 23-3.
Even when these teams had mismatched records, they could always be counted on to beat each other. The 1-7 Falcons once beat the 7-1 Saints, causing the Saints to have to play a Wildcard game (which they lost). There’s a long and storied history between these two teams, and they hate each other as much as any two teams in the league. Really the only thing keeping them from being higher on the list is that the stakes are usually fairly low for these two teams.
#2. Steelers vs. Ravens
We’ve all seen legendary battles between these teams, both during the season and when the stakes are the highest. They both have hard-hitting defense consistently, and always grind out hard-fought games. The fan dynamic is complicated by the fact that many Pittsburgh residents moved to Baltimore after steel mill closures, and many Baltimore residents became Steelers fans when the Colts left. The Steelers have the longer history, and they probably resent their younger brother being just as tough and talented as they.
During the Flacco/Roethlisberger era, these two teams had legendary battles in the postseason. In 2008, the AFC Championship game was won by the Steelers on a last-second Polamalu pick, and they went on to win the Super Bowl. In 2010, a last-second Flacco touchdown helped Baltimore sweep the season series, and they went on the win the Super Bowl that year. These teams may meet once again when the stakes are high, but the stakes are sky high everytime they meet because we know we’re getting incredible AFC North football.
#1. Bears vs. Packers
This is undoubtedly the greatest rivalry in NFL history, largely due to its longevity, spanning the entire history of the league. Some of the greatest figures in NFL history come from this rivalry. From the early days of Curly Lambeau, Vince Lombardi, and Papa Bear George Halas to modern titans like Brian Urlacher and Aaron Rodgers (pictured). They’ve played 210 times, more than any two teams in the NFL. The Packers lead the series 106-96, with a 1-1 record in playoff meetings.
The highest-stakes meeting was probably the 2010 NFC Championship, which the Packers won (and went on to win the Super Bowl). But it’s always high stakes when these two teams meet, as evidenced by Bears fans taking immense pride in beating the Packers at home last year despite their disappointing 5-12 record. These two teams hate each other, and twice a year, you can expect them to go all out to beat each other. They define the beginnings of the NFL, and in virtually any era of the NFL, you can point to amazing Bears or Packers teams and endless moments created by 77 Chicago and Green Bay’s 77 Hall of Famers.
