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The NFL has been around for more than 100 years, and during that time, several heated rivalries have sprouted. Divisional foes, regional adversaries, and Super Bowl matchups all dot the list. Here are our choices for the five best rivalries in the league’s history.
The Bears and Packers have been around essentially since the start of the NFL. The two teams have played each other more than 200 times and combined for 22 NFL championships, including five Super Bowls. They have a combined 48 members in the Hall of Fame.
Green Bay has been on a tear lately, winning 28 of the past 32 matchups. Aaron Rodgers went a combined 25-5 against Chicago, including an NFC Championship Game victory en route to a Super Bowl 45 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, Caleb Williams and Chicago took down GB in their most recent meeting, so it will remain to be seen whether the Bears can turn the tides.
This rivalry is unique because it’s an extension of a previous rivalry the Steelers had with the Cleveland Browns before owner Art Modell moved them to Baltimore ahead of the 1996 season. The bitter AFC North adversaries have matched up four times in the playoffs, with Pittsburgh owning a 3-1 advantage. That includes a 23-14 Steelers victory in the 2009 AFC Championship, with Ben Roethlisberger throwing for 255 yards and a touchdown.
Despite leading the series by nine games, Pittsburgh has only outscored Baltimore, 1258-1232. The Steelers have won six Super Bowls in eight appearances, and the Ravens are 2-for-2, last winning it all in 2012.
The Super Bowl 59 champion Eagles have defeated the Giants in 15 of the past 18 meetings. These teams, located less than 100 miles apart, have combined for 31 championship appearances and 13 titles. The Giants have four Super Bowl wins, and the Eagles now have two. The two teams came to prominence in the 1940s and 1950s, but two plays in later decades defined the rivalry.
The first is simply known as “The Hit,” when Philadelphia’s Chuck Bednarik blindsided Frank Gifford in 1960, knocking him unconscious and sending him out of football for 18 months. The other is known as the “Miracle in the Meadowlands” by Eagles fans and “The Fumble” by Giants fans. New York, clinging to a 17-12 lead with the ball and 20 seconds left, could have just taken a knee, but decided to run the ball one last time. The handoff between quarterback Joe Piscarcik and running back Larry Csonka was fumbled, and Philadelphia’s Herman Edwards scooped it up and returned it for the winning score.
This would have been higher, but for a dormant period for the two proud NFC East franchises the past few decades. The teams have combined for eight Super Bowl titles, but none since the 1995-96 season. The Cowboys won two in the 1970s under legendary coach Tom Landry and then 3-in-4 years under Hall-of-Fame coach Jimmy Johnson between 1992-1995. That second run came after Washington’s heyday, as Joe Gibbs-coached squads won three Super Bowls between 1982 and 1991. Dallas has won 17 of the past 24 meetings to extend its advantage in this series.
Washington has won both playoff meetings with the Cowboys by wide margins. Two championship game victories, one in December 1972 and one in January 1983 highlight the teams’ playoff matchups. Washington’s Over-the-Hill defense only allowed a field goal as the then-Redskins won, 26-3. In 1983, it was all John Riggins. The running back tallied 140 yards on the ground in a 31-17 victory.
Dallas has also executed backbreaking victories over Washington over the past 60+ years. On Thanksgiving Day, 1974, Washington knocked out Hall-of-Fame quarterback Roger Staubach in the third quarter. Rookie Clint Longley came in with the Cowboys trailing, 16-3, and promptly led the team to a 24-23 victory punctuated by a 50-yard touchdown pass to Drew Pearson with 28 seconds left.
Two mainstays from the initial formation of the American Football (AFL) League in 1960, the Broncos and Raiders have been in the same division for 65 years. The Raiders dominated this rivalry early on, winning 14 straight between 1965 and 1971 and 29 of the first 41 games. Denver finally emerged during the 1977 season, splitting with the defending Super Bowl champion Raiders during the regular season before defeating them in the AFC Championship, 20-17, to advance to their first Super Bowl.
The Raiders have won three Super Bowls, all between 1976 and 1983. The Broncos were hard-luck losers at first, dropping their first three Super Bowl appearances. Hall-of-Fame quarterback John Elway led back-to-back championship Denver squads during the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons, and Peyton Manning helped bring a third title to Denver in 2015.
Denver dominated this series under coach Mike Shanahan, who dominated his previous employer, winning 21 times in 28 games between 1995-2008. The teams have faced each other 19 times on Monday Night Football, with the record perfectly even at 9-9-1.
Brian has been writing about sports professionally for 25 years, specializing in the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, men's college basketball and football, and soccer. He covered high school, collegiate and professional sports in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area for two decades. His written work has appeared in several print and online publications since 1999.