If the NFL adds a 17th game and makes it a rivalry game (1 Viewer)

[GregR_2]

The NFL's current schedule set up is soon going to finish it's 4 year rotation for the 2nd time, after which the NFL is set to reevaluate it. With discussion already out there of adding a 17th game, let's say hypothetically that they add the game and decide it will be a rivalry game that recurs every year (regardless of whether the teams would have played that year because of the rest of the schedule or not).

Lets assume the rivalry cannot be with a team already in their division. While it's possible they would restrict rivalry games to being out of conference, let's not make that a requirement here. So the game can be any team in either conference, so long as they aren't in the same division. No division realignment will take place.

What do you think the matchups should be?

While I said they don't have to be out of conference, I believe all the matchups I came up with were out of conference. I like most of them, though a few (Pats-Packers, Bengals-Falcons, and Bills-Vikings) were more about pairing up the teams who were left.

Bills - Vikings

Dolphins - Bucs

Pats - Packers

Jets - Giants ... The Grapple in the Big Apple

Ravens - Redskins

Bengals - Falcons

Browns - Lions

Steelers - Eagles ... The Battle of Pennsylvania

Texans - Cowboys ... Lone Star Showdown

Colts - Bears

Jaguars - Panthers

Titans - Saints

Broncos - Seahawks

Chiefs - Rams

Raiders - 49ers ... the Battle across the Bay

Chargers - Cardinals

Edit to pair Detroit and Cleveland for the obvious Michigan - OSU rivalry.

 

[valhallan]

Bills - VikingsDolphins - Bucs Pats - PackersJets - Giants ... The Grapple in the Big AppleRavens - RedskinsBengals - FalconsBrowns - Lions Steelers - Eagles ... The Battle of PennsylvaniaTexans - Cowboys ... Lone Star ShowdownColts - Bears Jaguars - Panthers Titans - SaintsBroncos - SeahawksChiefs - RamsRaiders - 49ers ... the Battle across the BayChargers - Cardinals

Fun idea... I think you've come up with most of the good matchups. I might flip to these:Bengals - Saints (Who Dey vs Who Dat)Titans - Falcons (Geography)

 

[SigEp316]

Titans - Ravens

 

[Ron_Mexico]

I like this idea a lot.

Play the same team once a year and

alternate the venues.

Pats - Colts.

 

[DoubleG]

Browns vs. Ravens (aka the team formerly known as the Browns)?

 

[JHuber77]

Wouldn't this make more sense? Rivalry games are usually played in division

Denver - Oakland

Dallas - Philadelphia

San Diego - Kansas City

San Francisco - Arizona

St Louis - Seattle

New England - New York Jets

Miami - Buffalo

Baltimore - Cleveland

Pittsburgh - Cincinnati

Indianapolis - Jacksonville

Tennessee - Houston

Washington - New York Giants

Chicago - Detroit

Minnesota - Green Bay

Atlanta - Carolina

New Orleans - Tampa Bay

 

[Ron_Mexico]

Wouldn't this make more sense? Rivalry games are usually played in divisionDenver - OaklandDallas - PhiladelphiaSan Diego - Kansas CitySan Francisco - ArizonaSt Louis - SeattleNew England - New York JetsMiami - BuffaloBaltimore - ClevelandPittsburgh - CincinnatiIndianapolis - JacksonvilleTennessee - HoustonWashington - New York GiantsChicago - DetroitMinnesota - Green BayAtlanta - CarolinaNew Orleans - Tampa Bay

uhhhh. no.They already play each other twice a year.Greg's idea is a out of division rivalry for game 17.I don't need to see teams play each other 3 times per year..

 

[RIM]

those teams above already play twice a year...

 

[QUEZILLA]

Bills - Vikings

Dolphins - Bucs

Pats - Packers

Jets - Giants ... The Grapple in the Big Apple

Ravens - Redskins

Bengals - Falcons

Browns - Lions

Steelers - Eagles ... The Battle of Pennsylvania

Texans - Cowboys ... Lone Star Showdown

Colts - Bears

Jaguars - Panthers

Titans - Saints

Broncos - Seahawks

Chiefs - Rams

Raiders - 49ers ... the Battle across the Bay

Chargers - Cardinals

The best imo are in bold

 

[valhallan]

Wouldn't this make more sense? Rivalry games are usually played in divisionDenver - OaklandDallas - PhiladelphiaSan Diego - Kansas CitySan Francisco - ArizonaSt Louis - SeattleNew England - New York JetsMiami - BuffaloBaltimore - ClevelandPittsburgh - CincinnatiIndianapolis - JacksonvilleTennessee - HoustonWashington - New York GiantsChicago - DetroitMinnesota - Green BayAtlanta - CarolinaNew Orleans - Tampa Bay

Well he said let's assume non-divisional games.But in this case, you'd want Dallas-Washington and Philly-NYG. Possibly switch to Denver-KC and SD-Oakland as well.

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

Some small changes I think would work for this:

Falcons-Jaguars (play off of the UF-UGA rivalry)

Saints-Titans (another SEC-type matchup)

 

[Master of Past and Present]

The NFL's current schedule set up is soon going to finish it's 4 year rotation for the 2nd time, after which the NFL is set to reevaluate it. With discussion already out there of adding a 17th game, let's say hypothetically that they add the game and decide it will be a rivalry game that recurs every year (regardless of whether the teams would have played that year because of the rest of the schedule or not).Lets assume the rivalry cannot be with a team already in their division. While it's possible they would restrict rivalry games to being out of conference, let's not make that a requirement here. So the game can be any team in either conference, so long as they aren't in the same division. No division realignment will take place.What do you think the matchups should be?While I said they don't have to be out of conference, I believe all the matchups I came up with were out of conference. I like most of them, though a few (Pats-Packers, Bengals-Falcons, and Bills-Vikings) were more about pairing up the teams who were left.Bills - VikingsDolphins - Bucs Pats - PackersJets - Giants ... The Grapple in the Big AppleRavens - RedskinsBengals - FalconsBrowns - Lions Steelers - Eagles ... The Battle of PennsylvaniaTexans - Cowboys ... Lone Star ShowdownColts - Bears Jaguars - Panthers Titans - SaintsBroncos - SeahawksChiefs - RamsRaiders - 49ers ... the Battle across the BayChargers - CardinalsEdit to pair Detroit and Cleveland for the obvious Michigan - OSU rivalry.

Maybe pair the Falcons and Vikings together since the '98 game is still one people always remember. You could even go with Falcons-Packers since it was the Falcons who gave Green Bay their first ever home playoff loss. Not great reasons but these were teams you had paired up because they were leftover so I figured I'd throw them out there.

 

[Hammerage]

Wouldn't this make more sense? Rivalry games are usually played in divisionDenver - OaklandDallas - PhiladelphiaSan Diego - Kansas CitySan Francisco - ArizonaSt Louis - SeattleNew England - New York JetsMiami - BuffaloBaltimore - ClevelandPittsburgh - CincinnatiIndianapolis - JacksonvilleTennessee - HoustonWashington - New York GiantsChicago - DetroitMinnesota - Green BayAtlanta - CarolinaNew Orleans - Tampa Bay

I would swap Chargers-Oakland..... The Chargers and Raiders are huge rivals. Denver-Kansas City.

 

[Bri]

I'd like to see the Bills and Giants work up a rivalry within the state of NY.

 

[TheFanatic]

Wouldn't this make more sense? Rivalry games are usually played in divisionDenver - OaklandDallas - PhiladelphiaSan Diego - Kansas CitySan Francisco - ArizonaSt Louis - SeattleNew England - New York JetsMiami - BuffaloBaltimore - ClevelandPittsburgh - CincinnatiIndianapolis - JacksonvilleTennessee - HoustonWashington - New York GiantsChicago - DetroitMinnesota - Green BayAtlanta - CarolinaNew Orleans - Tampa Bay

Well he said let's assume non-divisional games.But in this case, you'd want Dallas-Washington and Philly-NYG. Possibly switch to Denver-KC and SD-Oakland as well.

And the Rams main rival would be San Fran, much more than Seattle. Even Arizona before Seattle as the Cardinals used to be in St. Louis and them leaving still leaves a bad taste in some people's mouths...But if we go outside of the division then Rams Chiefs would be ideal. They already play each other in the Governors Cup which is the final game of the preseason every year...

 

[JHuber77]

I guess I skimmed over the original post a little too fast. This thread would be alot better with a poll IMO

 

[OddibeMcD]

I'm just trying to figure out the Bills-Vikes rationale? Two teams to lose 4 Super Bowls? Two teams with poor starting QB's? Just matching up what was left? I'd think it'd be Bills-Giants or Bills-Browns. Too many Cleveland fans in upstate NY as it is.

 

[Big_Russel]

Pats/Colts has to be played so long as Brady and Manning are under center(s). That's a no brainer.

Pats/Packers makes ZERO sense to me.

 

[Phil Elliott]

The NFL's current schedule set up is soon going to finish it's 4 year rotation for the 2nd time, after which the NFL is set to reevaluate it. With discussion already out there of adding a 17th game, let's say hypothetically that they add the game and decide it will be a rivalry game that recurs every year (regardless of whether the teams would have played that year because of the rest of the schedule or not).Lets assume the rivalry cannot be with a team already in their division. While it's possible they would restrict rivalry games to being out of conference, let's not make that a requirement here. So the game can be any team in either conference, so long as they aren't in the same division. No division realignment will take place.What do you think the matchups should be?While I said they don't have to be out of conference, I believe all the matchups I came up with were out of conference. I like most of them, though a few (Pats-Packers, Bengals-Falcons, and Bills-Vikings) were more about pairing up the teams who were left.Bills - VikingsDolphins - Bucs Pats - PackersJets - Giants ... The Grapple in the Big AppleRavens - RedskinsBengals - FalconsBrowns - Lions Steelers - Eagles ... The Battle of PennsylvaniaTexans - Cowboys ... Lone Star ShowdownColts - Bears Jaguars - Panthers Titans - SaintsBroncos - SeahawksChiefs - RamsRaiders - 49ers ... the Battle across the BayChargers - CardinalsEdit to pair Detroit and Cleveland for the obvious Michigan - OSU rivalry.

I'm not sure this is a good idea - especially since some of these pairings are kind of after thoughts because their isn't a natural rivalry outside the division. If you are going to to do this, I guess I would just work it into the current schedule, instead of a BYE week. The preseason games could be reduced since they really become games for the non-starters.

 

[Ron_Mexico]

The NFL's current schedule set up is soon going to finish it's 4 year rotation for the 2nd time, after which the NFL is set to reevaluate it. With discussion already out there of adding a 17th game, let's say hypothetically that they add the game and decide it will be a rivalry game that recurs every year (regardless of whether the teams would have played that year because of the rest of the schedule or not).Lets assume the rivalry cannot be with a team already in their division. While it's possible they would restrict rivalry games to being out of conference, let's not make that a requirement here. So the game can be any team in either conference, so long as they aren't in the same division. No division realignment will take place.What do you think the matchups should be?While I said they don't have to be out of conference, I believe all the matchups I came up with were out of conference. I like most of them, though a few (Pats-Packers, Bengals-Falcons, and Bills-Vikings) were more about pairing up the teams who were left.Bills - VikingsDolphins - Bucs Pats - PackersJets - Giants ... The Grapple in the Big AppleRavens - RedskinsBengals - FalconsBrowns - Lions Steelers - Eagles ... The Battle of PennsylvaniaTexans - Cowboys ... Lone Star ShowdownColts - Bears Jaguars - Panthers Titans - SaintsBroncos - SeahawksChiefs - RamsRaiders - 49ers ... the Battle across the BayChargers - CardinalsEdit to pair Detroit and Cleveland for the obvious Michigan - OSU rivalry.

I'm not sure this is a good idea - especially since some of these pairings are kind of after thoughts because their isn't a natural rivalry outside the division. If you are going to to do this, I guess I would just work it into the current schedule, instead of a BYE week. The preseason games could be reduced since they really become games for the non-starters.

There are many many out of division rivalries that would work here.For the leftover teams with no major rivalries, this can be the start of a rivalry.This idea rules !!

 

[RockHard]

Jags vs. Steelers

 

[Phil Elliott]

The NFL's current schedule set up is soon going to finish it's 4 year rotation for the 2nd time, after which the NFL is set to reevaluate it. With discussion already out there of adding a 17th game, let's say hypothetically that they add the game and decide it will be a rivalry game that recurs every year (regardless of whether the teams would have played that year because of the rest of the schedule or not).Lets assume the rivalry cannot be with a team already in their division. While it's possible they would restrict rivalry games to being out of conference, let's not make that a requirement here. So the game can be any team in either conference, so long as they aren't in the same division. No division realignment will take place.What do you think the matchups should be?While I said they don't have to be out of conference, I believe all the matchups I came up with were out of conference. I like most of them, though a few (Pats-Packers, Bengals-Falcons, and Bills-Vikings) were more about pairing up the teams who were left.Bills - VikingsDolphins - Bucs Pats - PackersJets - Giants ... The Grapple in the Big AppleRavens - RedskinsBengals - FalconsBrowns - Lions Steelers - Eagles ... The Battle of PennsylvaniaTexans - Cowboys ... Lone Star ShowdownColts - Bears Jaguars - Panthers Titans - SaintsBroncos - SeahawksChiefs - RamsRaiders - 49ers ... the Battle across the BayChargers - CardinalsEdit to pair Detroit and Cleveland for the obvious Michigan - OSU rivalry.

I'm not sure this is a good idea - especially since some of these pairings are kind of after thoughts because their isn't a natural rivalry outside the division. If you are going to to do this, I guess I would just work it into the current schedule, instead of a BYE week. The preseason games could be reduced since they really become games for the non-starters.

There are many many out of division rivalries that would work here.For the leftover teams with no major rivalries, this can be the start of a rivalry.This idea rules !!

Ok, but I guess for some matchups it would just be another game. Maybe we can have some "rivalry" trophies that would make it more meaningful? Seriously, I'm not sure we need a 17th week.

 

[QuizGuy66]

Bills - Vikings

Dolphins - Bucs

Pats - Packers

Jets - Giants ... The Grapple in the Big Apple in East Rutherford

Ravens - Redskins

Bengals - Falcons

Browns - Lions

Steelers - Eagles ... The Battle of Pennsylvania

Texans - Cowboys ... Lone Star Showdown

Colts - Bears

Jaguars - Panthers

Titans - Saints

Broncos - Seahawks

Chiefs - Rams

Raiders - 49ers ... the Battle across the Bay

Chargers - Cardinals

The best imo are in bold

I had a bit of fun putting this together - I kept it strictly out-of-conference.The easy ones:

Oakland-San Francisco

Kansas City-St. Louis

Jets-Giants

Houston-Dallas

Miami-Tampa Bay (this is an easy choice given the uncertainty of Jacksonville's future)

Pittsburgh-Philly

Baltimore-Washington

Buffalo-Detroit (I think it's easy when you factor in the over-the-border fan factor)

The tougher ones:

San Diego-Arizona

Denver-Seattle

Jacksonville-Atlanta

New England-Green Bay (unfortuantely for NE, the natural out of conference rival, the Giants, are already taken of course)

Cleveland-Chicago (Old school NFL battle)

Tennessee-Carolina

Indianapolis-New Orleans (probably the least natural combo, but given the Manning connection this works best)

Cincinnati-Minnesota (my Who-Deys pretty much have all rivalries that work best in the conference, even the out-of-division candidates are all AFC teams like the Colts and even the Titans. The Lions would be the best psuedo-fit (Michigan/Ohio State Proxy). They both are Big10 states though so this works better than any other combo I could figure.

-QG

 

[GregR_2]

I'm just trying to figure out the Bills-Vikes rationale? Two teams to lose 4 Super Bowls? Two teams with poor starting QB's? Just matching up what was left? I'd think it'd be Bills-Giants or Bills-Browns. Too many Cleveland fans in upstate NY as it is.

... a few (Pats-Packers, Bengals-Falcons, and Bills-Vikings) were more about pairing up the teams who were left...

There really wasn't anyone outstanding to pair them up against. Many of the rivals are geographic and the AFC North and NFC North don't really overlap where pitting them against each other provides that regional rivalry.And yes, some of the games where the teams were leftovers won't be much of a rivalry to start out. But facing them every year can start to create one. And I agree with the person that suggested rematching up some big historical games if possible with the teams that didn't have a great fit.

 

[GregR_2]

Bills - Vikings

Dolphins - Bucs

Pats - Packers

Jets - Giants ... The Grapple in the Big Apple

Ravens - Redskins

Bengals - Falcons

Browns - Lions

Steelers - Eagles ... The Battle of Pennsylvania

Texans - Cowboys ... Lone Star Showdown

Colts - Bears

Jaguars - Panthers

Titans - Saints

Broncos - Seahawks

Chiefs - Rams

Raiders - 49ers ... the Battle across the Bay

Chargers - Cardinals

The best imo are in bold

I agree with the bolds, though I think Lions-Browns for the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry would end up being a good one. I also think Seahawks-Broncos would be pretty decent as they are old division foes. Though I think Seattle-Oakland was more of a rivalry, I just didn't see how we could miss out on 49ers-Raiders.

 

[Ron_Mexico]

Bills - Vikings

Dolphins - Bucs

Pats - Packers

Jets - Giants ... The Grapple in the Big Apple in East Rutherford

Ravens - Redskins

Bengals - Falcons

Browns - Lions

Steelers - Eagles ... The Battle of Pennsylvania

Texans - Cowboys ... Lone Star Showdown

Colts - Bears

Jaguars - Panthers

Titans - Saints

Broncos - Seahawks

Chiefs - Rams

Raiders - 49ers ... the Battle across the Bay

Chargers - Cardinals

The best imo are in bold

I had a bit of fun putting this together - I kept it strictly out-of-conference.The easy ones:

Oakland-San Francisco

Kansas City-St. Louis

Jets-Giants

Houston-Dallas

Miami-Tampa Bay (this is an easy choice given the uncertainty of Jacksonville's future)

Pittsburgh-Philly

Baltimore-Washington

Buffalo-Detroit (I think it's easy when you factor in the over-the-border fan factor)

The tougher ones:

San Diego-Arizona

Denver-Seattle

Jacksonville-Atlanta

New England-Green Bay (unfortuantely for NE, the natural out of conference rival, the Giants, are already taken of course)

Cleveland-Chicago (Old school NFL battle)

Tennessee-Carolina

Indianapolis-New Orleans (probably the least natural combo, but given the Manning connection this works best)

Cincinnati-Minnesota (my Who-Deys pretty much have all rivalries that work best in the conference, even the out-of-division candidates are all AFC teams like the Colts and even the Titans. The Lions would be the best psuedo-fit (Michigan/Ohio State Proxy). They both are Big10 states though so this works better than any other combo I could figure.

-QG

Not bad.Although I did prefer some of the "in-state" rivalries from Greg's earlier post.

 

[GregR_2]

Bills - Vikings

Dolphins - Bucs

Pats - Packers

Jets - Giants ... The Grapple in the Big Apple in East Rutherford

Ravens - Redskins

Bengals - Falcons

Browns - Lions

Steelers - Eagles ... The Battle of Pennsylvania

Texans - Cowboys ... Lone Star Showdown

Colts - Bears

Jaguars - Panthers

Titans - Saints

Broncos - Seahawks

Chiefs - Rams

Raiders - 49ers ... the Battle across the Bay

Chargers - Cardinals

The best imo are in bold

I had a bit of fun putting this together - I kept it strictly out-of-conference.The easy ones:

Oakland-San Francisco

Kansas City-St. Louis

Jets-Giants

Houston-Dallas

Miami-Tampa Bay (this is an easy choice given the uncertainty of Jacksonville's future)

Pittsburgh-Philly

Baltimore-Washington

Buffalo-Detroit (I think it's easy when you factor in the over-the-border fan factor)

The tougher ones:

San Diego-Arizona

Denver-Seattle

Jacksonville-Atlanta

New England-Green Bay (unfortuantely for NE, the natural out of conference rival, the Giants, are already taken of course)

Cleveland-Chicago (Old school NFL battle)

Tennessee-Carolina

Indianapolis-New Orleans (probably the least natural combo, but given the Manning connection this works best)

Cincinnati-Minnesota (my Who-Deys pretty much have all rivalries that work best in the conference, even the out-of-division candidates are all AFC teams like the Colts and even the Titans. The Lions would be the best psuedo-fit (Michigan/Ohio State Proxy). They both are Big10 states though so this works better than any other combo I could figure.

-QG

Not bad.Although I did prefer some of the "in-state" rivalries from Greg's earlier post.

I think the Cleveland-Chicago, Indy-New Orleans, and Tennessee-Carolina ones all work nice as well. Especially if it's starting up now so as was said, you have the Peyton and Archie tie in for Indy-NOLA. Cleveland-Chicago, nice battle between blue collar towns, and not all that far apart. And Carolina probably is the best match for Tennessee, better than New Orleans.

 

[FUBAR]

Bills - Vikings

Dolphins - Bucs

Pats - Packers

Jets - Giants ... The Grapple in the Big Apple in East Rutherford

Ravens - Redskins

Bengals - Falcons

Browns - Lions

Steelers - Eagles ... The Battle of Pennsylvania

Texans - Cowboys ... Lone Star Showdown

Colts - Bears

Jaguars - Panthers

Titans - Saints

Broncos - Seahawks

Chiefs - Rams

Raiders - 49ers ... the Battle across the Bay

Chargers - Cardinals

The best imo are in bold

I had a bit of fun putting this together - I kept it strictly out-of-conference.The easy ones:

Oakland-San Francisco

Kansas City-St. Louis

Jets-Giants

Houston-Dallas

Miami-Tampa Bay (this is an easy choice given the uncertainty of Jacksonville's future)

Pittsburgh-Philly

Baltimore-Washington

Buffalo-Detroit (I think it's easy when you factor in the over-the-border fan factor)

The tougher ones:

San Diego-Arizona

Denver-Seattle

Jacksonville-Atlanta

New England-Green Bay (unfortuantely for NE, the natural out of conference rival, the Giants, are already taken of course)

Cleveland-Chicago (Old school NFL battle)

Tennessee-Carolina

Indianapolis-New Orleans (probably the least natural combo, but given the Manning connection this works best)

Cincinnati-Minnesota (my Who-Deys pretty much have all rivalries that work best in the conference, even the out-of-division candidates are all AFC teams like the Colts and even the Titans. The Lions would be the best psuedo-fit (Michigan/Ohio State Proxy). They both are Big10 states though so this works better than any other combo I could figure.

-QG

Not bad.Although I did prefer some of the "in-state" rivalries from Greg's earlier post.

I think the Cleveland-Chicago, Indy-New Orleans, and Tennessee-Carolina ones all work nice as well. Especially if it's starting up now so as was said, you have the Peyton and Archie tie in for Indy-NOLA. Cleveland-Chicago, nice battle between blue collar towns, and not all that far apart. And Carolina probably is the best match for Tennessee, better than New Orleans.

I wouldn''t consider individuals when doing this. I would think Cleveland/Cincy is automatic, although as a city, Detroit probably is more similar to Cleveland.

I could buy off on Cincy/Indy, I-74

This would probably end up like baseball, where you have Arizona and Detroit linked.

 

[larry_boy_44]

Carolina vs. Jacksonville could work, too, since niether has a real rival yet naturally, it would work since the teams are connected (having come into the league the same year)...

 

[Kevin Ashcraft]

I would not mind Chiefs-Cowboys, but Rams makes more sense. Chiefs were originally a rival of the Cowboys when they were the Texans, but any ties to that time are long gone

 

[GregR_2]

Bills - Vikings

Dolphins - Bucs

Pats - Packers

Jets - Giants ... The Grapple in the Big Apple in East Rutherford

Ravens - Redskins

Bengals - Falcons

Browns - Lions

Steelers - Eagles ... The Battle of Pennsylvania

Texans - Cowboys ... Lone Star Showdown

Colts - Bears

Jaguars - Panthers

Titans - Saints

Broncos - Seahawks

Chiefs - Rams

Raiders - 49ers ... the Battle across the Bay

Chargers - Cardinals

The best imo are in bold

I had a bit of fun putting this together - I kept it strictly out-of-conference.The easy ones:

Oakland-San Francisco

Kansas City-St. Louis

Jets-Giants

Houston-Dallas

Miami-Tampa Bay (this is an easy choice given the uncertainty of Jacksonville's future)

Pittsburgh-Philly

Baltimore-Washington

Buffalo-Detroit (I think it's easy when you factor in the over-the-border fan factor)

The tougher ones:

San Diego-Arizona

Denver-Seattle

Jacksonville-Atlanta

New England-Green Bay (unfortuantely for NE, the natural out of conference rival, the Giants, are already taken of course)

Cleveland-Chicago (Old school NFL battle)

Tennessee-Carolina

Indianapolis-New Orleans (probably the least natural combo, but given the Manning connection this works best)

Cincinnati-Minnesota (my Who-Deys pretty much have all rivalries that work best in the conference, even the out-of-division candidates are all AFC teams like the Colts and even the Titans. The Lions would be the best psuedo-fit (Michigan/Ohio State Proxy). They both are Big10 states though so this works better than any other combo I could figure.

-QG

Not bad.Although I did prefer some of the "in-state" rivalries from Greg's earlier post.

I think the Cleveland-Chicago, Indy-New Orleans, and Tennessee-Carolina ones all work nice as well. Especially if it's starting up now so as was said, you have the Peyton and Archie tie in for Indy-NOLA. Cleveland-Chicago, nice battle between blue collar towns, and not all that far apart. And Carolina probably is the best match for Tennessee, better than New Orleans.

I wouldn''t consider individuals when doing this. I would think Cleveland/Cincy is automatic, although as a city, Detroit probably is more similar to Cleveland.

I could buy off on Cincy/Indy, I-74

This would probably end up like baseball, where you have Arizona and Detroit linked.

Same division, they already play each other twice a year.Cincy-Indy is a possibility.

 

[Ron_Mexico]

Bills - Vikings

Dolphins - Bucs

Pats - Packers

Jets - Giants ... The Grapple in the Big Apple in East Rutherford

Ravens - Redskins

Bengals - Falcons

Browns - Lions

Steelers - Eagles ... The Battle of Pennsylvania

Texans - Cowboys ... Lone Star Showdown

Colts - Bears

Jaguars - Panthers

Titans - Saints

Broncos - Seahawks

Chiefs - Rams

Raiders - 49ers ... the Battle across the Bay

Chargers - Cardinals

The best imo are in bold

I had a bit of fun putting this together - I kept it strictly out-of-conference.The easy ones:

Oakland-San Francisco

Kansas City-St. Louis

Jets-Giants

Houston-Dallas

Miami-Tampa Bay (this is an easy choice given the uncertainty of Jacksonville's future)

Pittsburgh-Philly

Baltimore-Washington

Buffalo-Detroit (I think it's easy when you factor in the over-the-border fan factor)

The tougher ones:

San Diego-Arizona

Denver-Seattle

Jacksonville-Atlanta

New England-Green Bay (unfortuantely for NE, the natural out of conference rival, the Giants, are already taken of course)

Cleveland-Chicago (Old school NFL battle)

Tennessee-Carolina

Indianapolis-New Orleans (probably the least natural combo, but given the Manning connection this works best)

Cincinnati-Minnesota (my Who-Deys pretty much have all rivalries that work best in the conference, even the out-of-division candidates are all AFC teams like the Colts and even the Titans. The Lions would be the best psuedo-fit (Michigan/Ohio State Proxy). They both are Big10 states though so this works better than any other combo I could figure.

-QG

Not bad.Although I did prefer some of the "in-state" rivalries from Greg's earlier post.

I think the Cleveland-Chicago, Indy-New Orleans, and Tennessee-Carolina ones all work nice as well. Especially if it's starting up now so as was said, you have the Peyton and Archie tie in for Indy-NOLA. Cleveland-Chicago, nice battle between blue collar towns, and not all that far apart. And Carolina probably is the best match for Tennessee, better than New Orleans.

I wouldn''t consider individuals when doing this. I would think Cleveland/Cincy is automatic, although as a city, Detroit probably is more similar to Cleveland.

I could buy off on Cincy/Indy, I-74

This would probably end up like baseball, where you have Arizona and Detroit linked.

Same division, they already play each other twice a year.Cincy-Indy is a possibility.

I think Pats / Indy is the natural rival there.Don't let this thread die, this should be a grassroots movement

to get the NFL to adopt this week 17 scenerio, if they choose to add a week 17 to the schedule.

Great idea, Greg.

 

[cj*]

Bengals-Titans is actually a good fit. Old AFC central foes. Jags-Steelers wouldn't be fair to the Steelers.

 

[QuizGuy66]

Even though it wasn't stipulated in the OP I did keep my as all inter-conference battles which did inform some of the decisions. Indy and Tennessee do work for the Bengals on proximity. Minnesota is tricky as they really do have all of their rivals in the division. My first though actually had a Denver-Minny matchup (and some other things shifted) with a Jacksonville-Arizona matchup (that sorta may be putting the Jaguars in LA a little soon though

Indy-NO isn't quite based on individuals per se, it's just the best looking leftover at that point based on the other ones that were put together. The Texas teams being out screws that up - though I guess you could make it the Chargers for now if you think they are ending up in San Antonio

These actually fit mostly better than baseball which has some really awkward combos.

-QG

 

[DoubleG]

The problem you have with any kind of "natural rivalry" schedule is the same problem you have in baseball when they do it via inter-league play. There are about half or so that work...the rest just get a bizarre matchup.

One of the reasons is that teams that are geographically close are typically already in the same division (if they play in the same conference) - Bears v. Packers for instance. Some teams just don't have a geographical rivalry that is outside their divison - and I guess that's fine. Just switch up the goofy games so like in baseball, the Arizona Diamonbacks don't have to play the Detroit Tigers, while the rest of US gets to watch Cubs/White Sox or Mets/Yankees every year.

 

[GregR_2]

...I think Pats / Indy is the natural rival there.Don't let this thread die, this should be a grassroots movementto get the NFL to adopt this week 17 scenerio, if they choose to add a week 17 to the schedule.Great idea, Greg.

Here's the biggest negative I see with in conference rivals, like Pats-Colts... which is why once I saw all my original matchups were out of conference, I stuck with it.In the case of the Pats and Colts, since both have won their division for umpteen straight years, they play every year already because of that. So had they had a rivalry game too over this past stretch and they'd have played twice every year. If all rivals are out of conference, then you play them every year, but 1 year in 4 you play them twice.For in conference rivals it's closer to double that. Because you definitely play them twice, 1 year in 3. But each of the other two years, you have a chance that you both finished the same in your divisions and so play an at large game. Add those together, and you double up games against your rival nearly every other year over the long haul.I guess it comes down to whether double games against rivals is seen as a good thing or a bad thing. I'd tend to think it's not a good thing as a season with double games would make the rival almost equal in importance to your division.Though from an owner's perspective, a Colts-Pats game draws fans, and that is reason for increasing the ticket price each year and will draw more viewers which means more advertising revenues for networks which means the NFL can negotiate higher TV contracts. So I don't know, they might actually like having the rivalry games double up more often, so long as they become games that draw above average interest from the fan bases.

 

[michaeled]

Obviously many rivalries would be geography based, but what about ones that look back at rivalries from old divisions prior to realignment or even past Super Bowl opponents

As a Bengals homer, I could see Bengals vs Titans (formerly the Oilers) or the Bengals vs 49ers (from the 2 SBs). A team like the Seahawks could go back to playing the Raiders or another team from the old AFC West

 

[Jimmy James]

In order to keep the schedule predictable, you have to make the rivalry game an inter-conference one. You then have to designate a second inter-conference rivalry to play twice every four years. They also have to be opponents in different divisions of the other conference. I'd suggest that the one that goes twice every four years should be the one that is geographic in nature. The game that is the rivalry game should be a big draw overseas because I predict a lot of these games will end up going overseas or to neutral sites in the US possibly.

I'm not going to make a whole list of what I'd like to see, but I would want the twice every four years for Miami to be the Bucs. I'd want the Redskins to be the every year rivalry. If you think about it, the Redskins and Dolphins have a good amount of shared history given the two Super Bowls they have played.

ETA: Also, I think Bengals-Niners is a no brainer.

 

[larry_boy_44]

that is actually a really good idea to have all of these games played either on neutral sites or overseas...

What if they did this:

Added an extra bye week after week 17, then had these games spread out over week 18 (like from thursday to monday), then had one week off before the playoffs start...

Then they could schedule one game in like London, Tokyo, Toronto, Mexico City, and a few other international sites...

Plus have a few games at neutral sites (Dallas vs. Houston somewhere else in Texas; San Francisco vs. Oakland somewhere nearby, but not belonging to either team

They could also have a game in Vegas and a few other places that don't have NFL teams, especially places with large college stadiums (Alabama, Iowa, maybe even someplace like Boise St.'s stadium or U of Wyoming every once in a while)

Then you get away from having teams with 9 home games... and you get to test new markets and gauge overseas interest...

 

[Jimmy James]

I think one excellent use of these games would be putting several of them in LA. You leave the LA market empty but give them 4, 6, or even 8 of these games. You could tap markets like Alabama and Iowa as suggested, and you'd still have some left over for overseas. I don't think the rivalry should be the neutral site game every year, but it would be the most frequent one to be the neutral site game.

 

[T Bell]

that is actually a really good idea to have all of these games played either on neutral sites or overseas...

That would be an awful idea. If you're trying to generate interest in a geographical rivalry, you keep it in the area. Where the hell would you get much interest in a Jets-Giants matchup outside of NYC?

 

[Jimmy James]

that is actually a really good idea to have all of these games played either on neutral sites or overseas...

That would be an awful idea. If you're trying to generate interest in a geographical rivalry, you keep it in the area. Where the hell would you get much interest in a Jets-Giants matchup outside of NYC?

That's why it shouldn't be the geographic one. You obviously want that game to be a home game for one team or the other.ETA: I imagine there would be lots of interest for Giants-Jets in Miami, FWIW.

 

[Ron_Mexico]

...I think Pats / Indy is the natural rival there.Don't let this thread die, this should be a grassroots movementto get the NFL to adopt this week 17 scenerio, if they choose to add a week 17 to the schedule.Great idea, Greg.

Here's the biggest negative I see with in conference rivals, like Pats-Colts... which is why once I saw all my original matchups were out of conference, I stuck with it.In the case of the Pats and Colts, since both have won their division for umpteen straight years, they play every year already because of that. So had they had a rivalry game too over this past stretch and they'd have played twice every year. If all rivals are out of conference, then you play them every year, but 1 year in 4 you play them twice.For in conference rivals it's closer to double that. Because you definitely play them twice, 1 year in 3. But each of the other two years, you have a chance that you both finished the same in your divisions and so play an at large game. Add those together, and you double up games against your rival nearly every other year over the long haul.I guess it comes down to whether double games against rivals is seen as a good thing or a bad thing. I'd tend to think it's not a good thing as a season with double games would make the rival almost equal in importance to your division.Though from an owner's perspective, a Colts-Pats game draws fans, and that is reason for increasing the ticket price each year and will draw more viewers which means more advertising revenues for networks which means the NFL can negotiate higher TV contracts. So I don't know, they might actually like having the rivalry games double up more often, so long as they become games that draw above average interest from the fan bases.

The real reason why NE plays Indy every year was to maintain the rivalry of previous yearswhewn the Colts were in the same division with the Patriots.I like the outside conference matchups, though.It brings the AFC / NFC a bit closer.

 

[T Bell]

that is actually a really good idea to have all of these games played either on neutral sites or overseas...

That would be an awful idea. If you're trying to generate interest in a geographical rivalry, you keep it in the area. Where the hell would you get much interest in a Jets-Giants matchup outside of NYC?

That's why it shouldn't be the geographic one. You obviously want that game to be a home game for one team or the other.ETA: I imagine there would be lots of interest for Giants-Jets in Miami, FWIW.

I seriously thought about that as I was typing that.

 

[larry_boy_44]

that is actually a really good idea to have all of these games played either on neutral sites or overseas...

That would be an awful idea. If you're trying to generate interest in a geographical rivalry, you keep it in the area. Where the hell would you get much interest in a Jets-Giants matchup outside of NYC?

you keep Jets-Giants in NYC...you keep San Francisco-Oakland in that area, too...but games like Carolina-Jacksonville don't really have a natural neutral site... NE-GB... SD-Arizona... Indy-Chicago...there are only a few of those games that have geographic implications that force them to be in the area they are in... plus, there is the fact that the rivalry game being week 17's game can only happen so often, as the teams do play once every 4 years anyways... That means that every year there are going to be a few games that do not have any rivalry implications...Let's say NYJ-NYG play each season, but the one season they play anyways, they each play a different random team (there'd have to be some system to this)... That game could easily be at a neutral site like Vegas, U of Alabama's Stadium, U of Iowa's Stadium, or an international site...some of the games just plain don't have neutral sites that make sense that could be used, and to give one team a 9th home game isn't fair...

 

[kaa]

Actually the best Rivalry in the NFL at one point was Browns-Lions. Who cares about Buckeyes / Wolverines...

http://www.detroitlions.com/document_displ...cument_id=39804

"When my family joined the NFL, the best rivalry in the League, if not all of sports, was the Lions and the Browns," said Lions Vice Chairman William Clay Ford, Jr. "Consequently, we grew very fond of the City of Cleveland and the Browns organization. So, it’s great to be playing the Browns again every year, even though it is only in the preseason.

The Lions and Browns played each other for the NFL Championship four times during the 1950's (1952-54 and '57) with the Lions winning in 1952-53 and '57. The Browns were victorious in 1954.

 

[QuizGuy66]

Actually the best Rivalry in the NFL at one point was Browns-Lions. Who cares about Buckeyes / Wolverines...

http://www.detroitlions.com/document_displ...cument_id=39804

"When my family joined the NFL, the best rivalry in the League, if not all of sports, was the Lions and the Browns," said Lions Vice Chairman William Clay Ford, Jr. "Consequently, we grew very fond of the City of Cleveland and the Browns organization. So, it’s great to be playing the Browns again every year, even though it is only in the preseason.

The Lions and Browns played each other for the NFL Championship four times during the 1950's (1952-54 and '57) with the Lions winning in 1952-53 and '57. The Browns were victorious in 1954.

As a Bengals fan, I fully support somebody else playing the Lions every year (especially if it involves a trip to their stadium - lot of bad preseason memories there)-QG

 

[ratbast]

...I think Pats / Indy is the natural rival there.Don't let this thread die, this should be a grassroots movementto get the NFL to adopt this week 17 scenerio, if they choose to add a week 17 to the schedule.Great idea, Greg.

Here's the biggest negative I see with in conference rivals, like Pats-Colts... which is why once I saw all my original matchups were out of conference, I stuck with it.In the case of the Pats and Colts, since both have won their division for umpteen straight years, they play every year already because of that. So had they had a rivalry game too over this past stretch and they'd have played twice every year. If all rivals are out of conference, then you play them every year, but 1 year in 4 you play them twice.For in conference rivals it's closer to double that. Because you definitely play them twice, 1 year in 3. But each of the other two years, you have a chance that you both finished the same in your divisions and so play an at large game. Add those together, and you double up games against your rival nearly every other year over the long haul.I guess it comes down to whether double games against rivals is seen as a good thing or a bad thing. I'd tend to think it's not a good thing as a season with double games would make the rival almost equal in importance to your division.Though from an owner's perspective, a Colts-Pats game draws fans, and that is reason for increasing the ticket price each year and will draw more viewers which means more advertising revenues for networks which means the NFL can negotiate higher TV contracts. So I don't know, they might actually like having the rivalry games double up more often, so long as they become games that draw above average interest from the fan bases.

The real reason why NE plays Indy every year was to maintain the rivalry of previous yearswhewn the Colts were in the same division with the Patriots.I like the outside conference matchups, though.It brings the AFC / NFC a bit closer.

Good point!As a Pats fan I would love this as long as NE could play Chi. I'd like to see some Superbowl XX revenge!

 

[Godsbrother]

Historically the best non-division rivalries for the Steelers would be the Cowboys, Raiders and Oilers. Jags wouldn't be bad either.

 

[Manster]

Bills - Vikings

Dolphins - Bucs

Pats - Packers

Jets - Giants ... The Grapple in the Big Apple

Ravens - Redskins

Bengals - Falcons

Browns - Lions

Steelers - Eagles ... The Battle of Pennsylvania

Texans - Cowboys ... Lone Star Showdown

Colts - Bears

Jaguars - Panthers

Titans - Saints

Broncos - Seahawks

Chiefs - Rams

Raiders - 49ers ... the Battle across the Bay

Chargers - Cardinals

The best imo are in bold

I agree with the bolds, though I think Lions-Browns for the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry would end up being a good one. I also think Seahawks-Broncos would be pretty decent as they are old division foes. Though I think Seattle-Oakland was more of a rivalry, I just didn't see how we could miss out on 49ers-Raiders.

i like the Seahawks/Raiders matchup. they are big time rivals from when the hawks were in the AFC West. i think of Bo runnnin over the Boz! Cowboys/Steelers is another good one. although you cant go wrong with geographical matchups.this is a great idea, by the way. rivalries make the game great.