New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Before everyone hated the Dallas Cowboys, people hated the New York Giants. The Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles have compiled two of the NFL's longest lasting rivalries in NFL history with the Giants that have currently surpassed 150 games. While the Giants/Redskins has been a tad lopsided in the Giants advantage, the Eagles/Giants rivalry has been tighter and featured more remarkable playoff match-ups throughout its history.
This rivalry had more intensity before the Cowboys stole some of the spotlight. Still, when Eagles Quintin Mikell(notes) was asked about the biggest rivalry in Philadelphia, he explains:"But for me personally and in this locker room, it's more about the Giants."
Lately, the games have been more competitive. The Eagles are 15-10 since 2000 against the Giants while they're 14-7 against the Cowboys. In those games, the Giants and Eagles have matched up for three playoff games, and over half of their games have been decided by ten points or less.
Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints
The Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints rivalry doesn't feature the Dallas Cowboys and it doesn't have the longevity that the NFC North and NFC East feuds have. The NFC West and NFC South divisions have been victims of the 2002 realignment, and the Rams/49ers rivalry lost some intrigue after the Rams relocated to St. Louis.
Despite the changes, the Falcons and Saints stayed in the same division and continue to play out their rivalry. The Saints and Falcons were two of the Deep South's first teams. The rivalry hasn't been well documented by the media over the past years because of the Saints struggles before the Sean Payton era, but ESPN's Len Pasquarelli has expressed his opinion of the Falcons and Saints being one of the most colorful rivalries in all of sports.
The Falcons lead the all-time regular season series 45-39. They are also 1-0 during the playoffs. With both teams establishing themselves as legitimate Super Bowl contenders in the past five years, the series could become more recognized outside of the Southeast.
Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The Dallas Cowboys are the NFC's version of the Oakland Raiders; everyone considers them their biggest rival. The Cowboys have even established some of the NFL's biggest rivalries with teams who aren't even in their division or conference. Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers fans often recognize the Cowboys amongst their biggest rivals.
As a neutralist to both teams, this is my favorite NFC East rivalry. The games almost always have playoff implications for at least one of the teams. Philadelphia and Dallas have some of the NFL's most passionate fans, so home field advantage is an important factor for any opponent.
Players and fans alike hate the Cowboys. Merrill Reese, Eagles play-by-play announcer, expresses his disdain for the Cowboys stems from their "America's team" label and after Lee Roy Jordan knocked out Timmy Brown's teeth. Undoubtedly, Cowboys fans share their disdain for their NFC East counterpart, also.
Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins
Since 1960, the Cowboys and Redskins rivalry has showcased some of the most memorable regular season and playoff games in NFL history. Despite the Cowboys being a late blooming franchise in 1960, the Cowboys and Redskins combine for 8 Super Bowls.
The Dallas Cowboys lead the overall series 60-40-2, but they're 0-2 in conference championships games. The series has always been competitive. Even when the Cowboys won 14/15 from 1997-2004, most of the games were within a touchdown. That is the closest stretch of pure domination that any team has demonstrated through the series.
The most memorable moment from the rivalry may have occurred during the Redskins 1983 NFC Championship game. After suffering their only regular season defeat to the Cowboys, the Redskins got their rematch during that game. The Redskins won the rematch 31-17 and followed that up with by winning Super Bowl XVII 27-17 over the Miami Dolphins.
Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers
The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers were two of the NFL's pioneers. For 85 years, these teams have clashed for NFL superiority. 21 championships later, and the feud is as competitive as ever.
The rivalry is noted for the NFL's first ejection. The Bears defeated the Packers in their only playoff match-up just seven days following the Pear Harbor bombing. The game featured the first ever "Fair catch free kick" in 1964. Charles Martin prematurely ended the Bears potential dynasty after slamming Jim McMahon to the turf, a maneuver leading to a two-game suspension. The Bears won their 1999 match-up just days after Walter Payton's death. In 2006, the Bears gave Brett Favre(notes) his only shutdown loss of his career.
The list goes on and on. After nearly a decade of pure domination by the Packers, Lovie Smith has restored order and competitiveness in the rivalry. Overall, the Bears own the record of the NFL's longest rivalry at 92-83-6.
Honorable Mentions: Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers, Washington Redskins vs. New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants, St. Louis Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers
