The Chiefs, Colts, Cowboys, Packers, Dolphins, and Steelers are the only teams with winning records against all of their current division rivals for rivalries going back at least 20 years.
Conversely, the Browns, Chargers, Jaguars, Lions, and Jets are the only teams with a losing record against all of their current division rivals for rivalries going back at least 20 years.
[8][9] The intensity of the rivalry stems from the Dolphins winning 20 straight meetings in the 1970s, as well as the emergence of Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks Jim Kelly for Buffalo and Dan Marino for Miami in the 1980s and 1990s.
[17] Perhaps the most famous (or infamous) moment to come from this rivalry was in their game on November 22, 2012, when Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez ran into the rear end of offensive guard Brandon Moore and fumbled the ball, allowing New England to recover for a touchdown.
The Colts have generally had the upper hand in this matchup, thanks in large part to the exceptional performances of quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck.
Despite Indianapolis dominating the AFC South and this particular series under quarterback Peyton Manning in the 2000s, Houston has recently provided more competition, winning the division five times since 2011.
[32] This rivalry stands as the most enduring in the AFC South, with a history of competition spanning over 20 years before the Jaguars and Texans were established, originally featuring the Baltimore Colts against the Houston Oilers.
[34][35][36] However, in more recent years, the Colts have largely taken control of the rivalry, bolstered by the outstanding performances of quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck.
[84][85] The two teams met thrice in the AFC championship in 2001, 2004 and 2016, all of which was won by the Patriots en route to winning the Super Bowl each year.
The teams have met in the playoffs twice, with the Redskins shutting out the Giants 28–0 in 1943 and New York returning the favor 43 years later in the 1986 NFC Conference Championship, winning 17–0.
[106] The Packers lead the series 108–96–6 as of the end of the 2024 season, the fourth time in NFL history that a team has recorded 100 wins against an opponent, following the Lions–Packers, Giants–Washington, and Bears–Lions rivalries.
They met on January 2 in the 2010 regular-season finale, then three weeks later in the NFC Conference Championship Game en route to winning Super Bowl XLV, and then they had both meetings in the 2011 regular season.
The 2013 regular season finale served as a playoff game for the NFC North Division Championship, which Green Bay won 33–28, scoring a 48-yard touchdown on fourth-and-8 with 38 seconds left.
Although rarely noted by the national media—no doubt due to both teams' long stretches of futility until the opening decade of the 21st century—games between the Falcons and Saints have riveted their respective regions for more than 40 years.
ESPN.com writer Len Pasquarelli has cited the rivalry as one of the best in all of sports: "Every year, bus caravans loaded with rowdy (and usually very inebriated) fans make the seven-hour trip between the two cities.
For some time prior; both teams had been far less competitive within the rivalry as the Rams had failed to qualify for the postseason from 2005-16 while the 49ers had struggled to remain consistent despite two Super Bowl appearances in 2013 and 2019.
However; inconsistent play on defense, and multiple penalties on both sides slowly chipped away the lead as the Rams inched ahead with 4 minutes left in the game.
San Francisco ultimately won the division by a half-game and advanced to Super Bowl XLVII (losing 34–31 to the Baltimore Ravens), while the Seahawks lost in the NFC divisional round.
During the 2021 season, the Cardinals not only managed to end their 8-game losing streak against the Rams but also stole the lead of the NFC following a shocking week 5 victory.
The rivalry has recently grown in animosity with multiple hostile moments of taunting or fights occurring in addition to 2 postseason matchups.
For instance; during their first meeting of the 2018 season, the two teams met in Seattle during week 5 as tensions began to escalate after a scuffle between both benches after Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks suffered a game-ending injury resulting from a controversial head-on collision from Seahawks safety Tedric Thompson, culminating in both benches clearing in a minor brawl.
Following the game, Rams' cornerback Jalen Ramsey voiced his own retaliatory remarks aimed at the Seahawks, proclaiming: They outta take their hats and t-shirts down to Cabo this offseason!
[157] The rivalry between the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints was once a fierce divisional battle as both teams played in the NFC West until the league's realignment in 2002.
The Oilers controversially lost the 1979 AFC championship game to Pittsburgh as a result of a bad call toward receiver Mike Renfro’s infamous missed touchdown that was ruled out of bounds.
To date, the two last met in the playoffs in 1983 when the eventual Super Bowl champion Raiders, playing in Los Angeles at the time, crushed the Steelers 38–10.
[170] The clubs have played each other in the NFL playoffs twice, most recently in the 1984 AFC Wild Card Game, in which the Seahawks defeated the reigning Super Bowl champion Raiders 13–7.
When St. Louis, Missouri had NFL teams, namely the Cardinals and later the Rams, a cross-state rivalry existed with the Kansas City Chiefs, with a trophy being awarded to the winner of each game.
The series ended following the Rams' relocation back to Los Angeles in 2016, though both teams would play each other during the 2018 season in a matchup setting the record for the third-highest scoring game of all time,[188] hailed by many as one of the greatest in league history.
The Oilers won the regular season series with the Dallas Texans 4–3[197][198][199][200][201] but lost their one post-season matchup, the 1962 American Football League Championship Game.
During the process, the Raiders simultaneously unsuccessfully attempted relocating back to Los Angeles in a failed joint stadium project with the then-San Diego Chargers (of whom had played their first year as a franchise in LA).