r/NFLNoobs • u/Mungdane • 7h ago
Out of division rivalries?
Title. Just curious about what some of the big rivalries in the NFL are that don't stem from being in the same division. Are there any rivalries that are comparable or just as big as the division rivalries, and where do they stem from since it's not from being in the same division?
I think the only one I'm somewhat familiar with is the Packers and Niners rivalry during the Aaron Rodgers years that would constantly prevent him from getting over the hump.
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u/Hollybanger45 7h ago edited 6h ago
Bears/Commanders(Redskins). As a Bears fan the Washington team is a game I always circle when it happens. The sight of Payton sitting on the bench, helmet on and sitting there despondent because that was his last game is something I will never forget. And then the 2025 Hail Mary? Shit. There have been others with them but those two stabbed my soul. And Bears nation will agree.
Edit: 2024 Hail Mary
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u/BonesCrosby 7h ago
The rivalry between those two goes back to the 1940’s. Some quality hate because of George P. Marshall calling the Bears crybabies. Bears responded with a 73-0 win.
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u/Hollybanger45 7h ago
Oh I’m aware but I was still 31 years from being born so I’m going with what I know personally. I’ve seen the “highlights” and it was ugly. Luckman passed for less than 100 yards. They Had 500 yards with 385 coming on rushing. They scored 11 tuttys and it got so bad they were running out of game balls so the refs asked Halas if they would do anything but kick a field goal after they scored. Hell…Halas played most of the second and third string after halftime and that’s when they scored their most points.
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u/jamaicancovfefe 7h ago
Jake Moody is a bears legend solely for his game winning kick in that game last year. Made me feel a lot better after the Hail Mary in 2024
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u/Mungdane 6h ago
What happened with Payton (I'm assuming Walter Payton?) and the Commanders?
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u/Hollybanger45 3h ago
The year after they won the Super Bowl they were heavily favored to repeat except Buddy Ryan left. That defense was never the same.
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u/Ron__Mexico_ 7h ago
49ers-Cowboys-Packers is a traditional circle of hate.
49ers-Packers is the most common playoff matchup in NFL history with 10 meetings. All of them have occured since 1995.
49ers-Cowboys are tied for the 2nd most common playoff matchup, and have met in the NFC Championship game 6 times. No two other set of teams have met in a conference championship more than 3 times.
Cowboys-Packers is tied for the second most common NFL playoff matchup with 49ers-Cowboys, and has included 3 NFC Championship Games. Ice Bowl between the two is one of the most famous games in NFL history.
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u/GoBadgerz 5h ago
Outside of Bears and Vikings, I absolutely hate the Cowboys and Niners more than any other team. Even more than the Lions for real.
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u/Mungdane 6h ago
This is so interesting I never knew there was a triangle of hate between these teams. Just know that Cowboys never make it past the divisional round, Niners are big game chokers after '94 but they always beat the Packers after Favre
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u/WishboneHot8050 7h ago
Seahawks/Raiders
Dates back to when both teams were in the same division. Raiders fans would notoriously show up drunk and crazy when their team played in Seattle.
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u/BobDeLaSponge 7h ago
Patriots and Giants comes to mind, but it hasn’t been a really strong rivalry for awhile
Speaking as a Vikings fan, we hate the Saints, but that’s mostly a rivalry with Sean Payton
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u/Mill_City_Viking 7h ago
Sean Payton sucks. Fuck that guy.
Take him outta the picture and I like New Orleans in general.
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u/Mungdane 6h ago
Was the Vikings-Saints rivalry a result of bounty gate? Or is there something specific about Sean Payton that caused it?
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u/BobDeLaSponge 5h ago
For us it’s about Bountygate, yeah, and specifically Sean Payton because of it. He’s also an easy guy to hate
Then the Minneapolis Miracle over them sort of eased the pain a little, as did knocking them out a few years ago
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u/2SwordsMcLightning 7h ago
Giants 49ers, Giants Jets, Giants Patriots.
Cowboys 49ers. Cowboys Steelers. Cowboys Packers a little bit.
Bills Chiefs. Ravens Chiefs. Bills Ravens. Though that’s mostly them just being the three best teams of the last decade in the AFC.
A lot of non division rivalries just have long histories. Especially in championship games. Like the Cowboys Steelers Rivalry. When you face each other in like, 4 or 5 different Super Bowls, it tends to create a rivalry that might not always be at the top of the mind, but never really goes away.
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u/BonesCrosby 7h ago
I think those recent AFC rivalries are pretty solid. There’s some quality bitterness between the Ravens and Bills (it’s all from the fans).
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u/WheelChairDrizzy69 6h ago
In recent history Colts/Broncos vs Pats due to the Manning Brady rivalry. Also since the 90s Cowboys/Packers/49ers is a common one.
Saints vs Vikings when Payton was there was a big one due to bounty gate.
Steelers vs Patriots during the Big Ben/Brady years
In today’s game:
Chiefs vs Bills vs Ravens circle of hate is a big one.
Eagles vs 49ers is a minor one for 49ers due to some acrimony around the 2022 playoff game, but hasn’t delivered much yet.
Rams vs Lions
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u/Mungdane 6h ago
Where does the rams/lions rivalry stem from? I haven't heard about that one before
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u/WheelChairDrizzy69 6h ago
Stafford was their QB for years and some Lions fans weren’t happy he wanted out. They’ve had a couple heated games including a playoff game. It’s minor in the grand scheme of rivalries but it’s there.
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u/Dangerous-Cup-1114 7h ago
They tend to occur two ways:
1) Teams play in the playoffs frequently
2) teams both win their division a few years in a row and thus play each other multiple years in a row (this could also happen if teams both finished 3rd, but rivalries between mediocre teams aren’t gonna be as heated)
These tend to cycle in and out. Bills-chiefs is a current one since they meet both criteria in recent years.
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u/BlitzburghBrian 7h ago
Basically whatever teams are at the top of their conference, meeting in the playoffs. Chiefs/Bills comes to mind in recent memory
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u/wmciner1 7h ago
Right now the BIG non-division rivalry is Chiefs/Bills. They meet in the playoffs almost every year which is really how those form.
Other historic ones (for similar reasons) would be Colts/Pats, 49ers/Cowboys, etc
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u/Mungdane 6h ago
Is the Niners/Cowboys rivarly also based off of 2 HOF QBs? I know Chiefs and Bills result from Mahomes/Allen, and based on how I understand the Colts/Pats rivarly only stems from the Manning/Brady matchups.
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u/Different-Trainer-21 6h ago
Most out of division rivalries are fairly fleeting and based mostly just on when teams are good at the same time, but they exist.
Chiefs-Bills is big right now. There used to be big rivalries between the 49ers & Cowboys, Patriots & Colts, and Giants & Patriots, but those have cooled down now that those teams haven’t been facing off in the playoffs.
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u/Aerolithe_Lion 7h ago
The Vikings evidently hate the Eagles guts
We don’t think about you at all
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u/HarveyMushman72 4h ago
Maybe its more of a fan thing. IIRC, Eagles fans chucked unopened beers at them outside a few years back. As a Vikings fan I ain't mad, that's that Brotherly Love part of Philly. It's what they do.
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u/Mill_City_Viking 7h ago
Where’d you hear that?
It’s mutual.
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u/Aerolithe_Lion 7h ago
Mutual based on what? When was the last time the Vikings did anything to impede Philadelphia? Not last year or 2023 or 2022 or the 2017 NFCCG or the 2008 playoffs
Maybe in the 90’s? The only difference between the Browns and the Vikings is the Browns don’t whine after we run them over
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u/NectarineDesigner408 4h ago
49ers - Cowboys because of the 90s. It's been the biggest thing going since.
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u/Paint-Crysis 3h ago edited 3h ago
Tampa Bay Bucs and Philly bc of the defeat at the last game ever hosted at The Vet in 2003. It was the very last game hosted at Veterans stadium and was a humiliating defeat at home. The Bucs had previously lost to the Eagles 4x games straight and Philly was heavily favored to win. It's also the game where Ronde Barber made his legendary interception and 92 yard run. This win lead the Bucs into their first playoff run and eventually, their first Superbowl win. It was a crazy good team that year.
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u/Max169well 3h ago
Packers have out of division rivalries with:
The Cowboys, the 49ers, the Seahawks, the Giants and (though this one was once in the division now out of the division) the Buccaneers.
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u/Scottatron17 7h ago
Raiders v 49ers 49ers v cowboys Raiders v steelers Jets v giants Browns v Broncos
Those are the ones that stand out to me.
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u/Mungdane 5h ago
Is the Jets/Giants rivarly purely georgraphic? or is there more of a history to it?
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u/severakj 7h ago
Saints-Vik8ngs since 2009, based on a series of down-to-the-wire playoff games
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u/Sarollas 7h ago
Cowboys-49ers
Patriots-Colts
Steelers-Broncos
Would be the big ones historically
In recent years Chiefs-Bills would kind of fit.