Rivalries

For the better part of the past decade the New England Patriots-Indianapolis Colts rivalry was the best in the league. The often breathtaking quarterback play of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning made the games great. Playoffs, regular season, didn't matter. Any game could become a classic. Every game was must see football. Manning's neck troubles in 2011 and the resulting overhaul of the Colts pretty much ended all that was great when those two teams stepped on the same field. This left the NFL with a rivalry void. The New York Jets and Patriots had a little juice when Rex Ryan first jumped into the head coaching fire. That didn't last. The Baltimore Ravens-Pittsburgh Steelers rivalry has been great but the Steelers dropped off some last year. They likely won't stay down long. The Cincinnati Bengals emergence has made the AFC North a three team race. There are always terrific, longtime division rivalries in the NFC North, NFC East, and AFC West. While always special, these division rivalries rarely sustain the elite team status that set Patriots-Colts apart from the rest.

No rivalry has really stepped up to replace the Patriots-Colts. For the past couple of years I've been expecting the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints to make that jump. Matt Ryan and Drew Brees are terrific quarterbacks. Ryan might need a few more great games and a deeper playoff run to truly be considered elite but he and Brees can really light up a scoreboard. The Falcons and Saints (when not being punished for being dipshits) are regular contenders in the NFC. All the ingredients are there for a classic rivalry. They've played some great, entertaining games over the last few years, but Falcons-Saints haven't quite become Patriots-Colts. They may be too late.

The San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks were two of the best teams in the league last year. The 49ers had been trending in that direction for a couple of years now. A team with a great defense and a ball control offense. When Colin Kaepernick replaced the efficient Alex Smith at quarterback, that offense became explosive. The Seahawks went from promising to contending with rookie quarterback Russell Wilson. Both teams were great last year. This offseason, they got better. The Seahawks got downright scary when they traded for do everything receiver Percy Harvin. This little bull might be the most dynamic football player in the league. The Seahawks added Harvin. Hours later, the 49ers added receiver Anquan Boldin. It seemed that the football war between the two teams carried over into the offseason. Losing receiver Michael Crabtree to an achilles injury was an offseason blow for the 49ers but they have the overall talent to survive it. This rivalry is compelling simply for the football talent that these two teams put on the field. There's also some genuine nastiness. That's only enhanced by the uncomfortable history between head coaches Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll. When the coaches might brawl there's a real good chance that the players might really get after each other. The two games between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers this coming season could be the must see football games that the Patriots and Colts always were. The wrench in the works could come from another NFC West team. Neither the Seahawks nor the 49ers could find a way to beat the St. Louis Rams last year.