5 NFL Rivalries That Are Heating Up and 5 That Are Completely Dead
Some rivalries define NFL eras. Others just… fade away. Right now, the NFL landscape is shifting. Legendary coaches are leaving. Young stars are taking over. And some rivalries that were dead for decades? They’re suddenly the most compelling matchups in football. Let’s break down five rivalries that are absolutely heating up—and five that are officially dead. Which NFL rivalries are lighting up, and which ones have died down? HEATING UP: Packers vs Bears The NFL’s oldest rivalry is back—and it might be better than it’s ever been. For years, this “rivalry” was a joke. The Packers and Aaron Rodgers owned Chicago for a decade. It just wasn’t competitive. Then Ben Johnson arrived. Six minutes into his introductory press conference, Johnson turned to reporters and made some choice remarks about beating Matt LaFleur twice a year. Keep in mind, he hadn’t even coached a game in Chicago yet—and he was already picking a fight with Green Bay. LaFleur didn’t take it well. At the NFL’s annual meeting, they exchanged the coldest, most awkward handshake you’ve ever seen. LaFleur later told reporters, “I don’t know Ben Johnson. Do I have beef? I don’t know Ben Johnson.” The tension only grew as the season unfolded. In Week 14, the Packers beat the Bears 28-21 at Lambeau. LaFleur gave Johnson another drive-by handshake. Two weeks later? Caleb Williams threw a 46-yard touchdown to DJ Moore in overtime. Bears win 22-16. They’d erased a 10-point deficit in the final two minutes, recovered an onside kick, and pulled off a miracle. But the real fireworks came in the playoffs. Wild Card weekend. Soldier Field. The Bears fell behind 21-6 entering the fourth quarter. Green Bay had a 99% win probability. Williams led three consecutive touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, the third coming with the Bears down 27-24 with under two minutes left, when Williams found DJ Moore wide open for a 25-yard touchdown. Bears 31, Packers 27. Johnson became the first Bears coach to win a playoff game in his first season. In the locker room afterward, he grabbed the microphone and screamed: “F*** the Packers! F*** them. I f***ing hate those guys.” That’s not a corporate rivalry anymore. That’s real. And here’s why this matters long-term: Both teams are set. Williams just set the Bears’ single-season passing record with 3,942 yards. Jordan Love is entering his prime. Johnson and LaFleur could be facing off twice a year for the next decade. The NFL’s oldest rivalry finally has stakes again. DEAD: John Harbaugh vs Mike TomlinDec 5, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh (left) and Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin (right) talk on the field before their teams play at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports For nearly two decades, John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin defined what an AFC North rivalry should look like. Forty head-to-head meetings. Two Super Bowl-winning coaches. The NFL’s longest-tenured coaching tandem at their respective franchises. But in January of the 2026 offseason, that all changed, as both were gone within a week. Their final meeting was Week 18—winner takes the AFC North, loser goes home. It was the first winner-or-go-home game in AFC North history. Classic Steelers-Ravens: four lead changes in the fourth quarter, brutal defense, everything on the line. With the game tied 24-24 and seconds remaining, Ravens rookie kicker Tyler Loop lined up for a 44-yard field goal to win Baltimore the division. Unfortunately for Baltimore, he missed it, and the Ravens were eliminated. Two days later, owner Steve Bisciotti fired Harbaugh after 18 seasons. One week after that, Tomlin stepped down. Nineteen seasons without a losing record—an NFL record—and he walked away. Tomlin hasn’t landed anywhere yet. Jesse Minter is now the Ravens’ head coach. The two longest-tenured coaches in the league are suddenly gone, and now, one of football’s fiercest rivalries is in new hands. The games will still be good, but they will be missing what made this NFL rivalry special—two coaches who genuinely respected each other while doing everything possible to destroy each other twice a year. When all was said and done, Tomlin finished with the advantage 23-17 against Harbaugh in head-to-head meetings. It will be interesting to see how the next evolution of the rivalry comes into form, but for now, one of the NFL’s great coaching rivalries is officially dead. HEATING UP: Mike Vrabel vs Tom Brady Here’s an NFL rivalry nobody saw coming: Two guys who won three Super Bowls together as teammates are now competing against each other—and it’s already getting petty. When Mike Vrabel took over the Patriots in 2025, he immediately transformed one of the NFL’s worst rosters into a Super Bowl contender. New England went 14-3, won the AFC East for the first time since 2019, and reached Super Bowl LX. Meanwhile, Tom Brady became a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders–apparently after trying and failing to wiggle his way into the owner’s box in Foxborough. And when it came time for the Raiders to trade Maxx Crosby, Brady reportedly made sure his former teammate didn’t get the player he wanted. Reports quickly started to surface that Tom went out of his way to make sure that the stud defensive end was not sent to his former team. Instead, Brady shipped Crosby to Baltimore for two first-round picks, and the Patriots got nothing. These two are fiercely competitive people. Brady is widely regarded as the most ruthless winner in NFL history. Vrabel is the guy who still practices with his guys from time to time. Now they’re operating in the same conference, making decisions that directly affect each other’s franchises. Brady controls personnel in Las Vegas. Vrabel is building a dynasty in New England. And neither one is going to give the other an inch. DEAD: Jets VS. Patriots Remember when these two teams played meaningful games? Whelp… not anymore! The Patriots may be back under Vrabel’s leadership, but the Jets went 3-14 in 2025. They started 0-7—the last team in the NFL to win a game. Their defense didn’t record a single interception all season. Meanwhile, the Patriots went 14-3 and made the Super Bowl. When these NFL teams met, it wasn’t a rivalry—it was a glorified practice. New England destroyed the Jets 42-10 in Week 13. The Jets committed a franchise-record 160 penalty yards. Aaron Glenn’s first season as head coach was a disaster by any measure. The Justin Fields experiment failed spectacularly. By Week 12, Fields was benched, and the Jets held a fire sale at the trade deadline, shipping out Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner—two of their best defensive players for future draft assets. The Patriots and Jets used to define the AFC East. Now? The Jets are too bad to be rivals with anyone. This isn’t a rivalry anymore—it’s a recurring embarrassment for New York HEATING UP: Patriots vs Bills While the Jets collapse, the real AFC East rivalry is between New England and Buffalo. The Bills had won the division five straight years. They had the reigning MVP in Josh Allen. Bills fans thought the Pats were a thing of the past, and Buffalo was supposed to run the AFC East forever. Then Mike Vrabel showed up, Drake Maye emerged as a legitimate MVP candidate, and New England’s defense became one of the most feared units in football. The teams split the season series, but the Patriots got the edge this year by taking the AFC crown. This should be quite a battle for years to come… Both quarterbacks were finalists for MVP. Both teams finished with elite records and are young enough to do this for the next decade. DEAD: Patrick Mahomes VS. Josh AllenOct 16, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) hugs Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) after a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports For years, this NFL rivalry defined the AFC. Mahomes and Allen are meeting in the playoffs. Kansas City is finding a way to win every single time. Allen was never able to get over the hump. Four playoff losses to the Chiefs. In 2025, it all fell apart. The Chiefs went 6-11. They missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014. Mahomes had his worst statistical season as a starter—a 63.1 completion percentage, his career low, and 22 touchdowns in 14 games. Then came Week 15 against the Chargers. Mahomes scrambled to extend a play and got spun down by defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand. He grabbed his left knee immediately, and as many feared, it was a torn ACL, and his season was officially over. It even puts his start to the 2026 season in jeopardy. The typical recovery timeline is nine months, but there’s no guarantee Mahomes returns to his MVP form. At least not right away. For this matchup to matter again, Mahomes needs to get healthy. The Chiefs need to rebuild around him. And to be honest, once he is back, Allen needs to actually beat Mahomes in a playoff game to make it feel competitive. Right now, it’s just one great quarterback who can’t get it done in the playoffs and another one on the operating table. Check back in 2027. HEATING UP: Seahawks vs Rams The NFC West has a new defining rivalry—and it might be the most compelling matchup in football. The Seahawks and Rams played each other three times in 2025. Each game felt like a heavyweight fight. Seattle won the first regular-season meeting by three points. Los Angeles won the second by two. In the NFC Championship, the Seahawks pulled out a 31-27 victory to reach Super Bowl LX. But the real story is the chess match between coaches. Sean McVay revolutionized the NFL offense. He made the Rams the most explosive team in football. He’s been to two Super Bowls. Mike Macdonald might be his defensive counterpart. In just his second year as head coach, Macdonald led Seattle to a championship. His defense held opponents to the fewest points in the NFL. His scheme is so complex that McVay himself said playing against Macdonald’s unit “felt like you were playing against 13 players.” What makes this NFL rivalry work is the contrast. McVay’s Rams led the NFL in scoring. Macdonald’s Seahawks led the NFL in points allowed. When they meet, it’s the unstoppable force versus the immovable object. Plus, there is the friction that exists between the Shanahan tree and any good coach that didn’t spawn his career from it. Macdonald isn’t part of that club. He came up through the Ravens organization. He’s the outsider who crashed their party and won a championship. And now these two young coaches could be facing off for NFC supremacy for the next decade. DEAD: Cowboys VS. 49ers Once upon a time, this was the NFL’s marquee rivalry. The 1990s saw Dallas and San Francisco meet in three consecutive NFC Championship games. The winner went on to win the Super Bowl each time. It was must-see television. Now? The Cowboys can’t even make the playoffs. Dallas missed the postseason for the second consecutive year in 2025—the first back-to-back playoff absences since 2000-2002. Largely because their defense was one of the worst we’ve seen in some time. The 49ers, meanwhile, remain annual contenders–even in spite of all the injuries. They’ve won the last four meetings between these franchises and made a couple of Super Bowl appearances in recent years. For this rivalry to matter, both teams need to be relevant. The Cowboys haven’t won a playoff game since January 2023. They haven’t won multiple playoff games in a single postseason since 1996. Their Super Bowl drought has reached 30 years. Jerry Jones keeps promising things will change, but we have heard that before, and until it does, this rivalry will remain a sleeping giant. HEATING UP: Ben Johnson vs Shanahan Coaching Tree This one’s personal. When Ben Johnson was hired by the Bears, he immediately positioned himself as an outsider. He called out Matt LaFleur. He dismissed the Packers. And he made it clear he wasn’t interested in making friends. What he didn’t realize—or maybe he did—was that he was picking a fight with an entire coaching ecosystem. LaFleur is part of the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree. So is Sean McVay. So is Matt LaFleur’s brother, Mike LaFleur, who serves as the Rams’ offensive coordinator. These guys vacation together. They share schemes. They’re a network. Johnson came up through the Dan Campbell and Miami Dolphins system. He’s an outsider to their world. After Johnson’s drive-by handshake with Matt LaFleur went viral, reports emerged that his antics “did not go over well with the McVay tree.” Whatever that means… what are they? The coaching mafia?! But Johnson isn’t backing down. At the NFL Combine, he was asked about his relationship with LaFleur. His answer was blunt: “We don’t talk. Nope. No.” This isn’t just Bears-Packers anymore. It’s Ben Johnson versus an entire coaching fraternity. The Shanahan tree includes some of the most successful offensive minds in football. Johnson is the guy trying to prove he doesn’t need their approval. He’s made himself the villain, and he seems to love it. DEAD: Giants VS. Jets Two teams. One city. Zero reasons to care. The Giants went 4-13 in 2025. The Jets went 3-14. Combined record: 7-27… YIKES! The Giants dismissed Brian Daboll after a 2-8 start, while the Jets stuck with first-year coach Aaron Glenn despite historically bad results. I mean, we are talking about a Jets team that recorded zero interceptions all season. The Giants showed some life early but lost Malik Nabers to a torn ACL in Week 4, further derailing their already-struggling offense. Neither franchise has made the playoffs since 2010 for the Jets and 2022 for the Giants. Neither inspires any serious confidence heading into 2026. For years, Giants fans and Jets fans would argue about which team was better. Now? Nobody in New York or New Jersey has any fight left in them.
