What are the biggest NFL rivalries of all time? With names like the Bounty Bowl and Body Bag games, these games are played like they’re a matter of life or death.
From hatreds created out of the rights to a song, being too close to one another or because of one players vicious actions, these are the top 10 best NFL rivalries:
10. Kansas City Chiefs vs. Las Vegas Raiders
The Chiefs and Raiders continually destroyed each other’s playoff hopes in the 1960s and 70s, and although the Raiders may not have the support of the “Swifties”, they’ve got Allegiant Stadium.
After a win at Arrowhead Stadium in 2020 the Raiders drove around the car park on a victory lap. At Super Bowl LVIII the Chiefs used the Raiders locker room at Allegiant. Oh, the pettiness between these two.
9. Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants
The Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants are separated by less than 100 miles, and the NFC East rivals have hated each other since way back in 1933.
Moments like The Hit, Miracle at the Meadowlands and the Miracle at the New Meadowlands has fired up the rivalry, and The Hit hospitalizing Frank Gifford for 10 days.
8. New York Jets vs. New England Patriots
The Jets had to watch on as Bill Belichick and Tom Brady created a dynasty with the Patriots. Despite New England’s dominance the Jets-Patriots are still one of the best NFL rivalries.
In 1997 the Jets were accused of tampering to sign Bill Parcels from the Patriots. Bill Belichick signed for New England barely a day after signing with the Jets, and who can forget the Patriots, Spygate tactics?
7. Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings
Ever since Minnesota joined the NFL in 1961 they’ve played little brother to Green Bay. This is a rivalry that splits family and friends in western Wisconsin and between the two, usually wins the NFC North.
Randy Moss’s “mooning” of Green Bay fans in 2005 pretty much sums up the Packers-Vikings rivalry and how they feel about each other. Don’t even get us started on the Brett Favre issue.
6. Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Commanders
The Cowboys and Commanders rivalry dates back to 1958 when Dallas oil tycoon Clint Murchison Jr. held the Redskins fight song to ransom, owning the rights and threatening to ban its use unless he got a team in Dallas.
Well he did, and both teams became NFC East divisional rivals. Even Washington struggle to support the Commanders with their founder’s history of openly supporting racial segregation.
5. Washington Commanders vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The “Body Bag Game” cemented Washington and Philadelphia as one of the biggest NFL rivalries. Eagles coach Buddy Ryan said before a 1990 game that Washington players would “have to be carted off in body bags”.
Philadelphia ended up injuring nine Washington players, and both teams lost their starting and backup quarterbacks. The fact the cities are less than 130 miles now seems irrelevant.
4. Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Bitter NFC East enemies Dallas and Philadelphia are our fourth biggest NFL rivals and the “Bounty Bowl” games in 1989 boiled over with accusations levelled at the Eagles for placing bounties on injuring Cowboys players.
When Cowboys’ all-time great Michael Irvin went down with a career-ending neck injury in 1999, Eagles fans cheered wildly as he got loaded into an ambulance. Now that’s hate.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens
Between 1970 and 1990 so many Pittsburgh fans left the city due to the collapse of the steel industry which is why they’re one of the most popular NFL teams across the country.
Many fled to Baltimore in search of work. So when the Ravens joined the league in 1996, bitter NFC North rivals were born. The hits are harder and the fans are louder in Steelers-Ravens rivalry.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Rivals since 1970, the Steelers and Bengals rivalry is straight up fire and reignited thanks to one man, Vontaze Burfict. Burfict violently knocked out Antonio Brown on January 9, 2016.
Fast forward to December 4, 2017. JuJu Smith-Schuster never forgot and knocked out Burfict on a block. Burfict then got fined on October 14, 2018 for unnecessary roughness on Antonio Brown and James Connor. Scary.
1. Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers
Number one on our list of the biggest NFL rivalries is the Bears vs. Packers. Bitter rivals since 1921, the two sides share a border with Chicago only a 30 minute drive from the Wisconsin border.
Fans from Chicago will tell you that Wisconsinites are “Cheeseheads”, and in reverse Chicagoans are fishtabs. The Packers are fan owned, and the Bears are majority owned by the Halas family. Typical.
