No matter how old an NFL rivalry is, one thing always remains the same—these teams and fans really hate each other.
These teams always mark their contests in the calendar and hold nothing back once the whistle blows, regardless of whether a matchup dates back to leather helmets or was created after the AFL-NFL merger. These games frequently feature brawls between spectators and players, as well as injuries on the field, and winning is always a source of great joy for the teams involved.
Here are the top 10 most intense team rivalries in NFL history:
1. Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Every NFL rivalry features teams that despise one another, but things take a whole new turn when it comes to the Steelers and Bengals. There is no love lost between these teams when they get onto the field, whether it was Vontaze Burfict knocking out Antonio Brown with a dirty hit in the 2016 playoffs or Kimo von Oelhoffen smashing Carson Palmer and destroying the quarterback’s ACL and MCL. Regardless of their records, these games are always intense, and more often than not, one player leaves the field on a cart.
2. Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers
The Packers-Bears rivalry has seen the most games played of any in NFL history, with approximately 200 games played between the teams since 1921. The past dominance of both franchises—both division rivals—has fostered animosity between the teams among both fans and players. These games have featured legendary coaches like Vince Lombardi, George Halas, Buddy Ryan, and Mike Ditka as well as players like Aaron Rodgers, Walter Payton, Bart Starr, and Gale Sayers participating in the field antics, which included many close games and hard hits.
3. New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys
One of the NFL’s most well-known rivalries is this contest. Two of the most adored teams in the NFL, both premier franchises—the flamboyant, showy, lavish Cowboys, also known as “America’s team,” against the rugged, tough, businesslike Giants. Despite the fact that both of these clubs are members of the NFC East, their rivalry dates back even before the division was created.
The teams’ first meeting took place in 1960 at Yankee Stadium, and the game finished in a tie, which served as something of a parable for the rivalry given how many games between the two teams had ended in ties. The games are always fiercely contested, whether it was the 13-10 victory by the Giants on an overtime field goal to make the playoffs for the first time in nearly two decades, the 2003 Monday Night Football contest in which the Cowboys triumphed despite trailing with just 11 seconds remaining, or the 33-31 overtime victory for New York in the 2009 opening game of the new Cowboys Stadium.
The matches on the field have been entertaining because to players like Eli Manning, Tony Romo, Emmitt Smith, Lawrence Taylor, Michael Irvin, Terrell Owens, Phil Sims, and Michael Statham, but the men on the sidelines have also increased the tension. While Hall of Famer Bill Parcells managed both teams during his career, legendary Cowboys coach Tom Landry previously played and coached for the Giants. To put it simply, these teams are well acquainted with one another yet are not close friends.
4. Oakland Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Since 1960, when they played in the same division of the AFL, the Chiefs and Raiders have had one of the longest-running and most heated rivalries in the NFL. Due to the great devotion of both sets of supporters, the atmosphere in the stadium is almost as intense as it is on the field. Due to the Raiders’ dominance over the Chiefs during the 1970s and 1980s, but Kansas City got back at Oakland in the 1990s, going 18-3 against Oakland.
5. Washington Redskins vs. Philadelphia Eagles
With two fan bases who hate one another and a history of close games and serious injuries, this rivalry, which dates back to 1934, has been one of the most heated in NFL history. The rivalry was best exemplified in a 1990 contest known as “the Body Bag Game” because so many players had to leave the game injured. As a result of the Eagles’ victory, nine Redskins players had to leave the field during play. The rivalry between the teams hasn’t diminished in the slightest and has actually grown more intense when they joined the NFC East.
6. Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers
This rivalry dates back to 1930, when the Detroit Lions were still known as the Portsmouth Spartans, and it first met then. The Packers-Lions game is the NFL’s longest-running rivalry; the clubs have faced off twice a year since 1933; that’s a pretty good way to incite resentment. Between these two teams in 2015, one of the wildest finishes in NFL history occurred when Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers helped his team rally from a 20-point deficit to win, culminating in an unbelievable 61-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to Richard Rodgers with no time remaining.
7. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys
Success has defined this rivalry throughout several eras; over the years, the teams have faced off in three Super Bowl title games. The “Steel Curtain” Steelers teams of the 1970s defeated the Cowboys twice, in 1976 and 1979, but Dallas got back at them in 1996 by winning Super Bowl XXX. This has developed into one of the most notable—and intense—non-conference rivalries in the NFL as a result of renowned players and coaches like Troy Aikman, Chuck Noll, “Mean” Joe Greene, Emmitt Smith, Lynn Swann, and Franco Harris competing against one another over the years.
8. Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers
Even though the Seahawks and 49ers didn’t start playing each other in divisional games until 2002, their rivalry has been one of the most heated in football since it began in 1976. The matches were less exciting during the most of the 2000s due to the Niners’ failure, but once former Jim Harbaugh and his aggressive coaching style arrived, things with the ‘Hawks heated back up. In a thrilling NFC championship game in 2013, the Seahawks prevailed thanks to a game-winning interception by Seattle. The 49ers and Seahawks were two of the top football teams from 2012 to 2014. The fact that Harbaugh had previously coached against Pete Carroll while the two were in the Pac-12 increased the tension.
9. Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers
These two teams are separated by a four-hour journey on the highway, so fans have little trouble making the trip for away games, boosting the volume of the audience when they compete. These clubs regularly engage in competitive, frequently extremely close matches, such as in 2015 when Atlanta gave Carolina its season-opening setback with a 20-13 triumph. Among the top athletes competing in the rivalry are Cam Newton, Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and Luke Kuechly.
10. New York Jets vs. New England Patriots
The teams have been competing against one another since 1960, when they were both in the American Football League (AFL), even before the NFL merger, so despite the Patriots’ dominance in the contemporary age, it doesn’t lessen the passion. The series has all the drama of a New York-Boston rivalry because to the several postseason meetings (2006 and 2010) and Bill Belichick’s last-minute decision to take over the Pats after he was elected head coach of the Jets. These clubs’ meetings have produced some noteworthy incidents, such as Mark Sanchez’s notorious “Butt Fumble” play on Thanksgiving in 2012 while playing for the Jets.