Top Current NFL Rivalries Part One

In the world of sports, rivalries are the engine that keeps the machine going. Whether it is individuals or teams, rivals tend to bring out the best in their opponent. In the National Football League there are some tremendous rivalries. But the rivalries on this list are the best of the best. There are some historic rivalries that are not on this list as this is about longevity, consistency, and current relevance. With that said here are my top ten current rivalries in the NFL.

1. New England Patriots-Baltimore Ravens

Since 1996, the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens have met 12 times with the Pats winning nine of those showdowns. But in the past few years it always seems as if the Patriots and Ravens are meeting in games that have big stakes.

In Week 13 of the 2007 National Football League season, the Patriots were 11-0 as they traveled to M&T Bank Stadium to meet the Baltimore Ravens. Early in the fourth quarter Ravens quarterback Kyle Boller would find tight end Daniel Wilcox for a 1-yard touchdown pass that gave Baltimore a 24-17 lead and it looked to put the Patriots undefeated season in jeopardy. But New England would rally and they would be assisted by a controversial call in the waning seconds of the game. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady would then find wide receiver Jabar Gaffney for an 8-yard touchdown pass to send the Ravens home losers 27-24.

After the Patriots escaped with a 27-21 victory in Week 4 of the 2009 NFL season over the Ravens, these two teams would meet for the first time in the playoffs that January. The Ravens traveled to Foxboro for the AFC Wild Card Game and it didn’t take them long to establish themselves. On the first offensive play of the game Ravens running back Ray Rice exploded for an 83-yard touchdown run to give the Baltimore the early 7-0 lead. The Ravens defense would intercept Brady three times en route to a 33-14 laugher.

The next three games between the Patriots and Ravens would be decided by a combined seven points including the 2011 AFC Championship Game which Baltimore simply gave away. The Ravens were trailing the Patriots late in the fourth quarter when quarterback Joe Flacco hit wide receiver Lee Evans right in his hands for the game-winning touchdown only to see him drop the football as he was defended by cornerback Sterling Moore. Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff would then miss a 32-yard field goal that would have sent the game into overtime, but instead his miss sent the Patriots to the Super Bowl.

The Ravens would return to Gillette Stadium for the 2012 AFC Championship Game and this time they would get the best of the Patriots. Flacco was flawless as he was 21-of-36 passing for 240 yards with a trio of touchdown passes. The Ravens trailed the Patriots 13-7 at halftime, but it was all Baltimore in the second half as they won 28-13 en route to winning their second Super Bowl Championship in franchise history.

This past season the Ravens and Patriots would meet once more in the AFC Divisional Playoffs. On two occasions the Ravens held a 14-point lead over the Patriots only to see New England come back. The Patriots took their first lead of the game late in the fourth quarter when Brady completed a 23-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon LaFell. Flacco attempted to rally the Ravens, but he was intercepted in the end zone by Patriots defensive back Duron Harman as New England would hold on to win 35-31. The Patriots escaped and a few weeks later would go on to win their fourth Super Bowl Title in franchise history.

The Pats lead the all-time series 9-3.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers-Baltimore Ravens

The AFC North was created in 2002 and since that time the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers have combined to win 10 division titles. While the Steelers wear black and gold, the Ravens wear black and purple. But when these two teams clash they are both black and blue because they have good old fashioned slug fests as they have had some of the greatest defensive players in NFL history. The Ravens have been defined by middle linebacker Ray Lewis while the Steelers by strong safety Troy Polamalu.

This rivalry gained some life in 2001 when the Ravens and Steelers met for the first time in the postseason. The Ravens were coming off of their first Super Bowl Championship when they met the Steelers in the AFC Divisional Playoffs. The Ravens would run into a buzz saw that afternoon in Pittsburgh as they lost 27-10.

In Week 2 on the 2004 NFL season, the Ravens would defeat the Steelers 30-13. The Ravens would knock Steelers starting quarterback Tommy Maddox out of the game which would pave the way for the Ben Roethlisberger era at quarterback in Pittsburgh. This would be the only game that the Steelers would lose that season en route to the best record in the AFC.

The Steelers and Ravens would meet in the 2008 AFC Championship Game and in typical fashion the game was decided by defense when Polamalu returned a Joe Flacco interception 40 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to put the game on ice as Pittsburgh would win 23-14. The Steelers would go on to become the first and only team in NFL history to win six Super Bowl Championships.

In Week 13 of the 2010 NFL season, the Ravens and Steelers were jockeying to win the AFC North. It was another tightly contested defensive struggle and in the game Roethlisberger suffered a broken nose when he was sacked by Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata. The Steelers would go on to win the game 13-10. These rivals would meet once more in January in the AFC Divisional Playoffs. The Ravens blew a 21-7 halftime lead as turnovers and dropped passes were their undoing as the Steelers would win 31-24.

The Ravens and Steelers would meet last month in the AFC Wild Card Game. The Steelers were without starting running back Le’Veon Bell and because of that they were no match for the Ravens as they fell 30-17.

The Steelers lead the all-time series 24-18.

3. Seattle Seahawks-San Francisco 49ers

Since 2002, the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers have combined to win the the NFC Western Division Title 10 times including the last five. In Week 6 of the 2002 NFL season, it was 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens that added fuel to the fire when he scored a touchdown and proceeded to go into his sock for a marker to autograph the football in which he scored the touchdown with. In Week 8 of the 2008 NFL season, the Niners hosted the Seahawks at Candlestick Park and it marked the first game for Mike Singletary as the head coach in San Francisco. Singletary was attempting to change the culture in San Francisco and when Niners tight end Vernon Davis received an unsportsmanlike conduct foul, he drew the ire of his head coach. Davis was chewed out by Singletary when he reached the bench and he was asked by his head coach to watch the rest of the game from the dressing room. Singletary would go on to give his infamous “can’t do it” post game press conference.

This rivalry has grown to being one of the best over the past few years due to the head coaches of both teams as the Seahawks are led by Pete Carroll and the 49ers were led by Jim Harbaugh. Prior to coming to the NFL, Harbaugh and Carroll competed against each other in college as both were in the Pac-12 Conference: Harbaugh with Stanford and Carroll with the University of Southern California.

Since 2011, the Seahawks have the slim 5-4 advantage in the series including winning the 2013 NFC Championship Game 23-17. Going forward this series could lose some of its luster being that Harbaugh is no longer with the Niners as he is now the head football coach of the University of Michigan.

The Seahawks lead the all-time series 18-15.

4. Indianapolis Colts-New England Patriots

The rivalry between the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots goes back to 1970 when the National Football League created the AFC Eastern Division. But this would become a rivalry for the ages in 2001 when these two longtime dormant franchises emerged as title contenders.

In Week 3 of the 2001 NFL season, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady made his first career start as New England would dominate Indianapolis 44-13 in the first installment of his epic rivalry with former Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. Brady would go on that year to lead the Patriots to their first Super Bowl Title in franchise history. This would be the Colts last season in the AFC East as they left to join the newly formed AFC South, but they would still consistently meet the Patriots in big games.

In Week 13 of the 2003 NFL season, the Patriots displayed an epic goal line stand as linebacker Willie McGinest stopped Colts running back Edgerrin James from scoring and New England would go on to win 38-34. The Colts and Patriots would meet in the postseason three times from 2003-2006 with New England winning twice. In 2007, the Patriots and Colts met in Week 9 and both teams were 8-0. The Patriots would leave Indy that day with a narrow 24-20 win en route to becoming the first and only NFL team to win 16 games in the regular season.

The Patriots and Colts would meet once more in Week 10 on the 2009 NFL season. Late in the fourth quarter New England was nursing a 34-28 lead when Patriots head coach Bill Belichick decided to go for it on fourth down instead of punting. The Patriots were deep in their own territory and Brady completed a pass to running back Kevin Faulk that was short of the first down. The Colts would get the football back and Manning would soon find wide receiver Reggie Wayne for the game-winning touchdown as Indianapolis would win the game 35-34.

In January 2014, the Colts would take on the Patriots in the AFC Divisional Playoffs, but it was now Andrew Luck who was at quarterback for Indianapolis as the organization had moved on from Manning. But Belichick and Brady weren’t about to slow down for Luck on this night as the Patriots would dominate the Colts 43-22.

Last month in the AFC Championship Game, the Colts wanted no part of the Patriots or the freezing rain in Foxboro as Indianapolis was dominated 45-7. The only drama remained when Colts general manager Ryan Grigson reported the Patriots to the NFL for allegedly using under-inflated footballs in the game. The Patriots would push the controversy aside and go on to win Super Bowl 49 for their fourth Vince Lombardi Trophy.

The Patriots and Colts will meet once again next season and I am sure that all eyes will be on Grigson after outing the Pats. The Patriots lead the all-time series 42-29.

5. Philadelphia Eagles-Dallas Cowboys

The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys have been rivals since 1960. The Cowboys were unable to defeat the Eagles until 1962 and they didn’t win consecutive games in the series until 1966. The rest of the 1960’s and all of the 1970’s would see the Cowboys dominate this series as they made five Super Bowl appearances.

But things would change in 1980 when the Eagles won the NFC East. The Cowboys were rudely greeted that season at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia for the NFC Championship Game as the game time temperature was 17 degrees. The Cowboys famed “Doomsday Defense” didn’t have an answer all afternoon long for Eagles running back Wilbert Montgomery who rushed for 194 yards as Philadelphia would win their first NFC Championship in franchise history.

Then there was the infamous “Bounty Bowl” on Thanksgiving Day 1989 when Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan allegedly put out a bounty on Cowboys kicker Tony Zendejas. Led by defensive lineman Reggie White, the Eagles would dominate the Cowboys 27-0. But the real drama was after the game when Cowboys head coach Jimmie Johnson had a few choice words for Ryan.

In 1995, the Cowboys would come to the Vet riding a seven-game winning streak in the series. The Eagles were leading 20-17 late in the fourth quarter when their defense needed to make a stand. It appeared that the Eagles had stopped Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith on fourth down, but there was timeout called. The Cowboys gave the ball to Smith once more and he was stuffed again by the Eagles defense and Philadelphia would win the game 20-17.

Dallas came to the Vet for a Week 5 showdown in the 1999 NFL season and little did we know that it would be the last game for Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin. Irvin was tackled to the ground by Eagles defensive back Tim Hauck and he would lay there motionless which unfortunately brought cheers from the fans in Philadelphia. Irvin would suffer a spinal injury that would abruptly end his NFL career.

The 2000’s would be dominated by the Eagles, but it was full of drama. After two wild seasons with the Eagles, wide receiver Terrell Owens joined the Cowboys in 2006. Owens returned to Philadelphia with the Cowboys for a Week 5 showdown and the fans there let him know how they truly felt about him. In the closing seconds of the game, Dallas was driving to tie the game when Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe was picked off by Eagles cornerback Lito Sheppard who scampered 102 yards to give the Philadelphia the 38-24 victory while Owens was forced to eat crow. In Week 17 of the 2008 NFL season, the winner of the Eagles-Cowboys game would advance to the postseason. But a 44-6 beat down at Lincoln Financial Field in Philly sent the Cowboys home while the Eagles would advance to the NFC Championship Game. The Eagles and Cowboys would also meet in the final game of the regular season in 2013 in a winner-take-all showdown for the NFC East Title. The Cowboys were without starting quarterback Tony Romo as head coach Jason Garrett went to veteran quarterback Kyle Orton. The Cowboys would keep the game close, but the Eagles would win 24-22 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas giving first-year head coach Chip Kelly the NFC East Title.

The Cowboys lead the all-time series 63-49.

Source: Footballdb.com