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http://www.nfl.com/playoffs/story?id=09000d5d808abc85&template=with-video&confirm=true
Instant Debate: The best playoff rivalries
NFL.com
George Long / NFLThe Vikings and Rams played in the famous "Mud Bowl" at the Los Angeles Coliseum in the 1977 playoffs.The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics have revived their storied rivalry in the NBA Finals this season. The series brings to mind some of the great rivalries that have flourished in the NFL, from old-school rivalries like the Browns and Lions in the 1950s to the Patriots-Colts battles of recent years.
But which was the best?
NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger, NFL Network's lead researcher David Carabello, and NFL.com editors Adam Rank and Jim Reineking try to answer that question over IM in NFL.com's "Instant Debate."
NFL Adam (3:36:34 PM): Gentlemen, I'll be brief. There are a lot of great rivalries out there. Some old, some new. So I'll open the floor to you guys. What is the best rivalry in NFL postseason history? Start us off, Mr. Baldinger.
Travel Dog (3:48:24 PM): There are three rivalries that really stick out in my mind. The first is Cowboys vs. Packers. That was a great series as the Packers always ran into a road block with the Cowboys down in Dallas. The Packers finally did get their Super Bowl, but never got a chance to knock off the Cowboys (who lost at Carolina in the 1996 divisional round). Dallas and San Francisco in that era also was a great rivalry as those teams went back and forth, winning four total Super Bowls. And the final one was Denver vs. Cleveland in the 1980s, as the Broncos kept Marty Schottenheimer out of the Super Bowl. That series had a lot of great rivalries and the stuff with John Elway.
Rhino (3:58:23 PM): The best rivalries are the ones that take place on a regular basis, not ones that occur in random meetings in the postseason, back in the day when both teams just happened to be real good. This means teams that have been meeting each other annually for as long as any living fan can remember -- Packers vs. Bears, Browns vs. Steelers, Broncos vs. Raiders, Chiefs vs. Raiders, Cowboys vs. the NFC East -- in which each meeting every season has the fans of both teams, regardless of record, pumped for the game based solely on long-time hatred for the other team.
NFL Adam (4:03:34 PM): As the fly said to himself as he was walking across the mirror, "That's one way of looking at it." Games with the highest stakes always mean the most. The Cowboys and 49ers regular-season games in the 1990s were intense, but not nearly as much as the NFC Championship games. A regular-season game featuring two also-rans -– even with the history -– is one thing, but it can't reach the passion or intensity of a playoff game (Charles Martin slamming Jim McMahon into the turf notwithstanding). I'd reason that playoff games make it a true rivalry. Otherwise, it's just some losers who hate each other.
DC4 (4:17:34 PM): When a rivalry escalates to a point where there's a lawsuit involved, there is no other rivalry that can compare. From 1972-76 the Steelers and Raiders played nine times, five of those games were in the playoffs. Three were for the chance to play in the Super Bowl. The first playoff meeting in 1972 ended with the "Immaculate Reception." The 1975 AFC Championship ended with Mel Blount driving Cliff Branch's helmet into the turf as time expired. And following the 1976 season opener, Steelers head coach Chuck Noll accused the Raiders of harboring a "criminal element" in Oakland. In that game, Oakland's George Atkinson clubbed receiver Lynn Swann in the head and gave him a concussion; and the ball wasn't even thrown in Swann's direction. Atkinson actually sued Noll for slander and the case went to an actual trial; a jury found in favor of Noll. It was a soap opera, a blood feud and Hall-of-Fame breeding ground (19 players who competed in these games are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame). No rivalry compares.
Travel Dog (4:21:24 PM): That was a great series. The "Immaculate Reception." (John) Madden having trouble getting through the Steelers. Though he finally did in the 1976 AFC Championship Game when they went on to win Super Bowl XII. Those were some big games.
Rhino (4:23:23 PM): The Raiders-Steelers rivalry of the 1970s also brings to mind that great Jack Lambert quote about the 1976 AFC Championship Game, which the Steelers lost: "Give us a six-pack, and we'll go out and play (the Raiders) again."
NFL Adam (4:28:34 PM): The Steelers and Raiders had a great rivalry. But the 1970s NFC battle between the Cowboys, Vikings and Rams stands alone. You had "America's Team," a blue-collar team and Hollywood's team. They couldn't have been more different. Plus a pair of no-nonsense, stoic Hall-of-Fame coaches -- Tom Landry and Bud Grant. A combination of this trio played in every NFC Championship Game from 1973-1978. And the Cowboys defeated the Vikings in the 1971 divisional round. This rivalry also had a number of memorable games, including the "Hail Mary" game in which Roger Staubach found Drew Pearson for the game-winning touchdown in the 1975 divisional round. Walk into a bar in Minnesota and mention the "Hail Mary" and you will likely get shoved harder than Pearson pushed Nate Wright. And don't forget the famed "Mud Bowl" in the 1977 divisional playoffs; the Rams finally got the Vikings at home, but it poured all day in Los Angeles. The Rams did get to the Super Bowl, with probably their worst team of the decade. Los Angeles defeated the Cowboys 21-19 in the divisional round before defeating the Buccaneers 9-0 in the 1979 NFC Championship Game. That Rams-Cowboys game was the last of Staubach's career, fitting as the Rams retired Fran Tarkenton the previous year. These were three great teams playing at their absolute best, and the NFL hasn't had a rivalry quite as dynamic as this one in quite some time.
Travel Dog (4:31:24 PM):I was a vendor at the Met during the 1974 NFC Championship Game with the Rams and Vikings. The Vikings defeated the Rams but ended up getting beat by the Steelers in Super Bowl IX. I also was a member of the Cowboys when we lost at home to the Rams in 1983, and when Eric Dickerson ran through us in 1985. So I saw all sides of this rivalry.
DC4 (4:35:34 PM): My top five would be: 1. Steelers-Raiders (early 1970s); 2. Cowboys-49ers (early 1990s); 3. Packers-Cowboys (1960s, 1990s); 4. Rams-Vikings-Cowboys (1970s); 5. 49ers-Giants (1980s)... also could have the current rivalry between the Colts and Patriots –- which kind of deflated without a playoff meeting this year.
NFL Adam (4:37:34 PM): I'd rank it: 1. Cowboys-Vikings-Rams; 2. Steelers-Raiders; 3. Cowboys-49ers. 4. Browns-Colts of the 1950s. There is a chance that the Patriots-Colts rivalry also could grow into a three-way if the Chargers can get back into the playoffs this season. Now it's time for the NFL.com voters to make their picks in the poll to the right.
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Here's my top five..
1. Cowboys vs 49ers - Of course I am biased here, but it is one of the best ever.
2. Pats vs Colts - Maybe it's just because it's recent, but those are some really good games.
3. Steelers vs Raiders - Only saw the replays and highlights, but the games were like wars because the teams hated each other.
4. Cowboys vs Packers - Aikman vs Favre was enough for me. But then you also have the older games in the 60's which are classic.
5. Giants vs 49ers - It seemed like they played ever year back in the late 80's and there were a lot of memorable plays in those games.
Instant Debate: The best playoff rivalries
NFL.com
But which was the best?
NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger, NFL Network's lead researcher David Carabello, and NFL.com editors Adam Rank and Jim Reineking try to answer that question over IM in NFL.com's "Instant Debate."
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Here's my top five..
1. Cowboys vs 49ers - Of course I am biased here, but it is one of the best ever.
2. Pats vs Colts - Maybe it's just because it's recent, but those are some really good games.
3. Steelers vs Raiders - Only saw the replays and highlights, but the games were like wars because the teams hated each other.
4. Cowboys vs Packers - Aikman vs Favre was enough for me. But then you also have the older games in the 60's which are classic.
5. Giants vs 49ers - It seemed like they played ever year back in the late 80's and there were a lot of memorable plays in those games.
