Biggest NFC Rivalry Games on the 2019 NFL Calendar

In the National Football League, there are some rivalries that date back into the mists of league history, such as the matchups between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. Others have formed as the league split into divisions, such as those among the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. Still others spring up almost overnight, thanks to unlikely events that happen in games and turn fan bases on one another. We have taken a look at several of the games on the NFC schedule this year that are likely to draw big ratings — and lots of NFL betting — because of the rivalries involved.

Biggest NFC Rivalry Games on the 2019 NFL Calendar

Will the rest of the NFC catch up to the @RamsNFL this season? #NFL https://t.co/rzIiXiCGOq pic.twitter.com/GAgwH5MMXt

— SNF on NBC (@SNFonNBC) July 24, 2019

New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Rams

• September 15, 2019

The Saints beat the Rams during the regular season, winning 45-35 in a game that the Saints dominated for the first half before the Rams mounted a spirited comeback after the intermission, forcing the Saints to hold them off. In the NFC Championship, as just about everyone on the planet knows, the Rams came back and beat the Saints in overtime thanks in large part to a missed pass-interference call against the Rams that ended a Saints drive. Of course, the Saints still had to make a few more mistakes to lose that game, including a Drew Brees interception in overtime, but that missed call led to a rule change that will make the game different this year. Both of these teams should be contenders in the NFC once again this season, and having two close games in one season will give the Rams faithful plenty to be loud about.

Green Bay Packers vs Minnesota Vikings

• Green Bay on September 15
• Minnesota on December 23

Yes, the Chicago Bears have emerged as a player in the NFC North, but the Vikings and the Packers dislike each other more than the upstart Bears. The two teams tied (thanks to some bad place kicking) in Week Two last year, and then Minnesota won in Week 12, one week before Mike McCarthy’s coaching tenure in Green Bay came to an end — the first time a Packers coach had ever been fired mid-season in the storied history of the franchise. Green Bay has a new head coach while the Vikings look to get the full promise of Kirk Cousins’ talent. These two teams know that they lie in each other’s way on the path to contender status in the NFC.

New Orleans Saints vs Atlanta Falcons

• New Orleans on November 10
• Atlanta on November 28

The Atlanta Falcons are also contenders in the NFC and will be, as long as they have Matt Ryan and Julio Jones on offense. The Saints swept the NFC South rivalry in 2018, winning in overtime in the first meeting and then delivering a rout over an injury-depleted Falcons team on Thanksgiving. They meet on Thanksgiving again this year, and the enmity that characterizes this rivalry will be on display again.

Dallas Cowboys vs Philadelphia Eagles

• Dallas on October 20
• Philadelphia on December 22

Dallas won the NFC East in 2016 and 2018; Philadelphia won it in 2017 and went all the way to the Super Bowl title, while the Cowboys were knocked out in the divisional round in their playoff years. Philadelphia has dropped three in a row to Dallas, although all three losses were by one score, and the last loss happened in overtime. Indeed, three of the last seven meetings between these two teams have gone into overtime. Philadelphia is 3-4 over that stretch. The teams enter 2019 as the co-favorites in the NFC East — although the threat of Ezekiel Elliott holding out for Dallas puts the Cowboys’ status in jeopardy. Both teams have quarterbacks who are entering their fourth seasons, with a combination of talent and question marks. So you can bet that both of these games will be hard-fought and close.