Great rivalries have always characterized the NFL. Who can forget the great Lions and Packers games or the Giants and Eagles games of the past? NFL rivals hate each other. There is always a little more pressure on each team.
Today, new rivalries have arrived. Two of the biggest rivalries are featured next weekend in the NFC and AFC Championship games.
The Seattle Seahawks had an amazing season. The Seahawks finished 13-3 and locked up what many consider the best division in the NFL in the NFC West. The reason many consider it such a great division, the Seahawks rival, the San Francisco 49ers, has made its way back to the NFC Championship game for the third straight year. The Seahawks and 49ers success over the past few years have created a heated rivalry in the NFC West.
The Seahawks were granted the No. 1 seed in the playoffs and dominated the Saints last week to reach the NFC Championship. With the Seahawks coming into the playoffs as NFC favorites, San Francisco above any other team would be more than happy to ruin Seattle’s hopes of reaching the Super Bowl.
San Francisco has proven it has what it takes to win this game. The 49ers are led by second-year starter Colin Kaepernick at quarterback, who led the team to the coveted Super Bowl last year. San Francisco will also come in winning the most recent matchup between the two rivals 19-17 in Week 14 in San Francisco.
The Seahawks, though, are thought to be unbeatable at home. The two teams faced off in Week 2 in Seattle where the Seahawks dominated every facet of the game, winning 29-3. In the past two seasons Seattle has only had one loss at home. With the Super Bowl on the line, this will create the most exciting chapter in the rivalry yet.
Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have made the AFC Championship. The two quarterbacks have played each other more than any other quarterbacks in the NFL. They are two of the best NFL quarterbacks and combine for six MVPs and four Super Bowl titles. Amazingly they find each other playing again for a chance at the Super Bowl. They played each other in this game in 2004 and 2007. The two games split, with Manning winning the most recent. Both went on to win the Super Bowl afterwards.
Manning is now with a new team. He led the Broncos to the No. 1 seed in the AFC this year. The Broncos powerhouse was upset though when they ventured to Foxborough in Week 12 and lost to the Patriots in overtime. Tom Brady will have that confidence boost when his team visits Denver next weekend. But the Broncos have been almost flawless at home this year with one loss. The matchup will be one for the ages, as two future Hall of Famers will face off once more for the AFC title.
Rivalries are what make sports so exciting. The NFC and AFC title games feature two of the best rivalries in sports, and each team will play its rival one last time before they can get to the Super Bowl. Expect nothing less than the best Sunday.
