I was a bit surprised by Ryan Fitzpatrick’s answer when I asked him to name the best rivalry in the NFL. The former quarterback went with Chiefs vs. Bills instead of a classic rivalry between divisional opponents.
Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised because I did specify by saying today’s best NFL rivalry and Kansas City and Buffalo have delivered great playoff battles in recent memory, but it was a reminder that feuds on the football field can form in any given year.
Not many expected the Lions and Rams to become rivals, but that slowly materialized after they swapped quarterbacks four years ago.
The Bears and Commanders could form a rivalry in the near future because Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels were taken Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the 2024 NFL draft. The two teams played in the most chaotic finish of last season when Daniels completed the walk-off Hail Mary. However, the Commanders might be more focused on the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles in 2025.
Let’s tab the biggest rival for every team in the NFC. And don’t worry, plenty of historic rivalries will be mentioned below.
Arizona Cardinals
Biggest rival: Seahawks
It would be fair to say this hasn’t been much of a rivalry lately with Seattle holding a seven-game winning streak over Arizona. But the Seahawks stunting the growth of a fast-rising Cardinals squad last season could lead to two drama-filled games in 2025 between the NFC West rivals.
Kyler Murray and Co. were flying high with a 6–4 record heading into the bye week, but were never the same after losing twice in three weeks to the Seahawks coming out of the break. With compelling rosters, these two teams could stand in each other’s way for a playoff spot this season.
Biggest rival: Saints
Records don’t matter in this heated rivalry that goes back decades and the even 56–56 all-time series record says it all. Ask any player on these two teams and probably all of them will say they are each other’s biggest rivals.
The NFC South rivals have split the season series the past two years and the two games in 2024 were decided by three points or less.
Carolina Panthers
Biggest rival: Buccaneers
The Panthers have struggled in recent seasons, but they have finally turned a corner under coach Dave Canales, the offensive guru they hired from the Buccaneers last year.
It took Canales some time to establish a foundation in Carolina, and there were a handful of ugly losses in 2024, including a 48–14 beatdown against his former team in Week 17. But four weeks before the ugly setback, the Panthers put a scare into the Buccaneers, taking them to overtime in a 26–23 defeat.
Chicago Bears
Biggest rival: Packers
Bears fans spend plenty of time talking about how much they dislike the Packers, even though not much has gone right for Chicago in this intense NFC North rivalry. But they gained plenty of bragging rights when Cairo Santos drilled a walk-off 51-yard field goal in the regular-season finale to defeat Green Bay and snap an 11-game losing streak. It was the Bears’ first win over the Packers since 2018.
Perhaps this is the year Chicago’s talented roster gets on the same page to contend with Green Bay and make a push in the stacked NFC North.
Dallas Cowboys
Biggest rival: Eagles
There was a time when many teams claimed to be the Cowboys’ biggest rival because they were gunning for Dallas’s top spot as a perennial Super Bowl contender. There was the iconic rivalry with Pittsburgh in the ’70s and the epic battles with Washington in the ’90s.
But the roles have changed for the Cowboys, who have spent the past few seasons chasing Philadelphia. For the Cowboys to end their nearly 30-year Super Bowl drought, they’ll need to get past the Eagles, who swept the season series last year.
Detroit Lions
Biggest rival: Rams
This recent rivalry has had several intriguing story lines, none bigger than the 2021 trade involving quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff. The Rams got the better end of the deal with Stafford winning a Super Bowl in his first year in Los Angeles after many losing seasons in Detroit. But since then, the Lions have become a powerhouse and knocked off the Rams in the wild-card round during the 2023 season.
These two teams also had an overtime thriller in Week 1 last year, with Detroit winning, 26–20. It wouldn’t be a surprise if these two rivals meet in the postseason again in 2025.
Biggest rival: Lions
The Packers have had talented teams since parting with Aaron Rodgers two years ago, but they’ve been a level below the Lions in the NFC North. Jordan Love struggled in the two losses against Detroit last season.
One of Love’s best performances since taking over as the Packers’ starting QB occurred on Thanksgiving Day 2023, when Love threw three touchdowns in a surprising win in Detroit.
Los Angeles Rams
Biggest rival: 49ers
There might not be a better rivalry between head coaches than Sean McVay vs. Kyle Shanahan. McVay’s Rams have won the past three meetings against Shanahan’s 49ers, but their most significant win occurred when Los Angeles beat San Francisco in the NFC title game before winning the Super Bowl in the 2021 season.
Shanahan, however, has a 10–7 advantage in the meetings with McVay as head coaches.
Minnesota Vikings
Biggest rival: Packers
There’s plenty of history between these two NFC North rivals. The Packers have the Super Bowl titles as bragging rights, but the Vikings are often competitive and there seems to be a shift in this rivalry. Coach Kevin O’Connell has a 4–2 record against Green Bay, including sweeping the season series over coach Matt LaFleur’s team last year.
The Packers hold the all-time series lead over the Vikings with a 66-60-3 record.
New Orleans Saints
Biggest rival: Falcons
Veterans such as Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan have spent the past decade-plus reminding teammates to hate the Falcons. Even coming off a down season like last year, Saints fans walk around with a smile knowing that their surprising November win over the Falcons essentially derailed their biggest rival’s season. New Orleans snapped a seven-game skid, and Atlanta went on to lose four consecutive games and missed the postseason.
New York Giants
Biggest rival: Eagles
Every team in the NFC East is gunning for the Eagles, but the departure of Saquon Barkley adds another layer to this division rivalry. Giants owner John Mara wants nothing more than to sweep the Eagles this season, you know, outside of winning a Super Bowl, which seems unlikely for this team.
Barkley rushed for more than 2,000 yards and won a Super Bowl in his first season away from New York. At the same time, the Giants were left with an infamous scene of Mara telling GM Joe Schoen that he’s going to be sick if their former star running back ends up with a divisional opponent.
Philadelphia Eagles
Biggest rival: Cowboys
The Eagles have a target on their backs heading into the 2025 season, but it’s a bit tough selecting their biggest rival with how dominant they were last season. Instead of going with Rams edge rusher Jared Verse, who finds Philly fans annoying, let’s go with the historic rivalry with the Cowboys.
The Cowboys haven’t played in an NFC title game this century and the Eagles have made it that far eight times in the past 25 years. But Eagles players still get excited to play against “America’s Team.”
Biggest rival: Chiefs
Maybe the correct answer here is the Rams, but Shanahan and 49ers players might spend the rest of their lives thinking about the two Super Bowl losses to the Chiefs. It might sting more knowing that Philadelphia managed to avenge its 2023 Super Bowl loss to Kansas City with a blowout victory in February. San Francisco had Kansas City on the ropes twice and couldn’t finish the job on the biggest stage either time.
The 49ers’ Super Bowl window might not be completely shut, but they lost plenty of talent in the offseason after missing the postseason in 2024. Oh, what could have been had Shanahan not elected to receive the ball first in overtime of Super Bowl LVIII.
Seattle Seahawks
Biggest rival: 49ers
The tide finally shifted in Seattle’s favor after Geno Smith’s dynamic touchdown run to beat San Francisco in November to end a six-game skid against its divisional rival.
For years, the Seahawks built rosters to potentially outdo the 49ers and repeatedly failed to get over the hump. However, the core group that had been a step behind the 49ers was broken up in the offseason. Now, it’s on Sam Darnold to beat the best teams in the NFC West.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Biggest rival: Falcons
The Buccaneers have dominated the NFC South, winning the division crown in each of the past four seasons. But the Falcons have given Baker Mayfield & Co. plenty of fits, including last year when Atlanta won both games. The Falcons have won four of the past five meetings over Tampa Bay.
With the Falcons expected to be better in coach Raheem Morris’s second season, these two teams could be battling for the NFC South crown late in the season.
Washington Commanders
Biggest rival: Eagles
The rivalry with the Cowboys has lost sizzle over the years. It will be better this year if Dallas can bounce back from a rough 2024. Still, Washington has graduated from being a surprising playoff team to a legitimate Super Bowl contender with the moves it made this offseason.
Daniels and the Commanders are aiming to get past the Eagles, who crushed their NFC East rival in the NFC title game in January. Philly exposed Washington’s roster holes, but the Commanders are now armed with Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil after two notable trades this offseason.
