Nobody can deny that the NFL is full of heated and compelling rivalries that help fill out the schedule every week. However, there are almost too many rivalries, causing some to get lost in the shuffle. The point is that there are more incredible rivalries in the league than most people realize. To help rectify that, here is a closer look at some of the NFL’s most underrated rivalries.
Packers vs Giants
For starters, these teams have been going at it since 1928. Also, in the pre-Super Bowl era, they met for the NFL championship five times.
An epic NFC Championship Game in 2007 helped bring this rivalry back for a few years, reminding fans of the incredible history shared between the Packers and Giants.
Bills vs Dolphins
In the AFC East, it sometimes feels like everything revolves around the Patriots. However, Miami and Buffalo have long been bitter rivals.
After all, you couldn’t find two cities that are more different. Before New England became public enemy no. 1, the Bills and Dolphins hated each other after meeting four times in the playoffs during the 1990s.
Cowboys vs Texans
Outside of the Lone Star State, this game doesn’t mean much, but it means everything inside the state of Texas. Since the Texans played their first game as a franchise against Dallas, this has been a heated rivalry.
Oddly enough, they’ve only met five times. However, the intensity level is always kicked up a notch when the Cowboys and Texans cross paths.
Jaguars vs Titans
Few could have predicted that this rivalry would take off the way it has when the Jaguars and Titans were put in the same division. Things got started when the Titans beat the Jags in the 1999 AFC Championship Game.
Including the playoffs, Jacksonville lost only three games that season, all to the Titans. Since then, the Jags and Titans have split the season series in all but a few years, making this a competitive and evenly-matched rivalry.
Lions vs Packers
The Lions are so often forgotten when we talk about the great rivalries in the NFC North. But they have a longstanding rivalry with the Packers that dates back to 1930.
Things were at their most intense in the 1990s when every game was close and the teams met in the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. The Lions have started to reassert themselves in recent years to breathe some life into the rivalry.
Falcons vs Panthers
Geographically, the Falcons and Panthers are closer than any other NFC South teams, so it’s a little bit of a mystery how this rivalry gets lost in the shuffle. Both teams tend to be well-represented in the stands regardless of what team is playing at home, which adds to the atmosphere for every game.
Historically, the Falcons have gotten the better of the rivalry, although the Panthers have won enough give games against Atlanta to maintain the rivalry’s intensity.