Best Rivalries by Decade

[RRMarshall]

Chiefs-Raiders from 1963-1973.

[nicefellow31]

How about a 3 team rivalry? The Vikings-Cowboys-Rams trifecta in the 70's.

[74_75_78_79_]

The Cardinals and...no one from the ’70s thru this century’s first decade! They and Bears sure enough had themselves a rivalry during their time together in the Windy City. In the ’60s, now in StL, they and Cleveland had quite their matches; but once they joined with Dal/NYG/Phi/Wash for the merger, they were quite the fifth-wheel in each of the three succeeding decades. Serious, what team of the four (by ‘default’, perhaps) was a ‘bigger’ rival to the Cards than the three others in either decade? Pretty tough to say. Now once they moved into the newly transformed NFC West in 2002, they seemed to ‘fit in’ a whole lot better; especially once winning became more common later on.

The Seahawks, on the other hand, developed a rivalry with each of the four in their AFC West division while a member from ’77-thru-’01; and that’s even during stretches of mediocrity. Same question can basically apply...what rival in their division was an even bigger one? Since moving cross-conference into the NFC West, it seems like the Forty Niners have been their biggest rival; and that’s before as well as right after Harbaugh. SF’s resurgence this past year only further reignited it some!

Like the Cards, the Bucs were clearly ‘odd-man-out’ in the NFC Central as well but for whatever reason - despite also doing their share of struggling - it seemed to me that they ‘fit in’ to their division more-so than the Cards did with the NFC East; and when Dungy arrived (wins), they (mostly through Favre & Sapp) seemed to have quite a rivalry enhanced with Green Bay before being placed in the newly-formed NFC South in 2002. And since then...they’ve fitted in rather well with their new division mates.

For the late-’90s...my vote will be Steelers/Jags! Starting with their very first affair in ’95, a game that the new/heavy-underdog Jags won (only to beat them in next year’s opener as well) through ’98 (the Burgh getting a win to go 7-4 just before their brief drought), with Cowher almost making a kick-return-TD-saving sideline tackle somewhere in-between, they indeed were the (instant) rivalry of that time and inevitably would have remained so had both stayed division mates!

[JohnH19]

The Cardinals and...no one from the ’70s thru this century’s first decade! They and Bears sure enough had themselves a rivalry during their time together in the Windy City. In the ’60s, now in StL, they and Cleveland had quite their matches; but once they joined with Dal/NYG/Phi/Wash for the merger, they were quite the fifth-wheel in each of the three succeeding decades. Serious, what team of the four (by ‘default’, perhaps) was a ‘bigger’ rival to the Cards than the three others in either decade? Pretty tough to say. Now once they moved into the newly transformed NFC West in 2002, they seemed to ‘fit in’ a whole lot better; especially once winning became more common later on.

The Cardinals had a big rivalry going with the Cowboys and Redskins from 1974-77 when they were division champs in 74 and 75 and strong contenders the other two seasons, until the collapse in the last four games of the 77 season.

To repeat my previous post; the NFC’s best rivalry in the 70s, bar none, was Dallas and Washington. The Minnesota, LA, Dallas playoff meetings didn’t come close to comparing.

[JuggernautJ]

To repeat my previous post; the NFC’s best rivalry in the 70s, bar none, was Dallas and Washington. The Minnesota, LA, Dallas playoff meetings didn’t come close to comparing.

Not disagreeing but the meetings in the early '70's between the 49ers and Cowboys (Cowboys won two close NFC Championship Games in '70 and '71 and another play off in 1972) helped establish a rivalry that would come to fruition during the Niners' heydays of the 1980's and '90's.
I know that in the Bay Area the Cowboys were certainly considered rivals...

[TanksAndSpartans]

Couple half-decade rivalries:

Early 1900s: Canton v. Massillon
Late 1910s: Canton v. Massillon

[BD Sullivan]

Following up on the mention of the Browns-Cardinals rivalry, it essentially lasted seven years from 1963-69. During that time each team won six times, with a pair of ties. What's weird is that the road team won nine of the 12 games where there was a winner.

[sluggermatt15]

1920s - Chicago Cardinals and Chicago Bears. Their games had direct impacts on the NFL championship four times in the first six years of the NFL's existence.