The NFL has developed many great rivalries through the years.
With just a couple of weeks to go until the start of the 2020 season, fans will be keen to see those rivalries renewed for another year.
Of course, rivalries can cool down and heat up over time. For example, the rivalry between the Patriots and Jets isn’t really what it once was, arguably due to the latter’s lack of competitiveness across the last decade.
But other rivalries have grown of late across the NFL. And, there looks to be some very keenly-contested divisions this season which could make for some tasty matchups. Let’s look at three that could catch attention this season.
Eagles vs Cowboys
The NFC East has been a straight clash between the Eagles and Cowboys for a few years now, and the two teams look evenly-matched again this year. Expert betting pundits believe the smart money is on the Cowboys to win the division, but Doug Pedersen’s Eagles team isn’t going to roll over. The pair will clash in early November in Philadelphia, but the Week 16 game at Cowboy Stadium might go a long way to deciding who takes the NFC East this season. There is a growing consensus that the Cowboys are ready to break out this season, and that a first Super Bowl appearance since 1995 looms. The Eagles have arguably the tougher schedule, but this is going to be a tight division and winning it might be the only route to the playoffs.
Buccaneers vs Saints
One of the most shambolic NFL franchises of the last decade against one of the best teams in recent years, few would have expected this to be a rivalry a couple of years ago. With the arrival of Tom Brady and a handful of others, there is expected to be a lot of scrutiny on the Buccaneers this season. The talent is there, in theory, but the question is whether the new-look team in Tampa will gel. Both teams are among the favourites for the Super Bowl, with the Saints marginally preferred by most sports books. The teams clash on opening day in New Orleans, and that could tell us a lot about how evenly-matched they are this season. But it might take the Buccaneers a while to get things right given the lack of pre-season football. This might not be the most bitter rivalry in the NFL this season, but
it sure is going to be the most intriguing.
Patriots vs Bills
The last time the Patriots failed to win the AFC East, President George W. Bush was in charge of the U.S. and people were trying to get their heads around a new gadget called the iPhone. It’s been an incredible period of dominance, but is it a knee-jerk reaction to say it has come to an end? A lot will depend on the health of new arrival Cam Newton, although some believe Jarrett Stidham could be pushed in at the deep end in a similar manner to how Tom Brady was all those years ago. As for the Bills, they’ll look to build on the playoff appearance from last season. But the bottom line is that the AFC East has become competitive for the first time in ages, and that’s going to make things interesting throughout the fall and winter. The teams will clash in Week 8 and Week 16.
