NFL preview 2019: Five rivalry games to watch

Thomas Lott

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NFL preview 2019: Five rivalry games to watch image

Everyone loves a good rivalry.

Whether that rivalry came about by a means of proximity or repeated intense clashes, rivalries bring out the best in players and sometimes the worst in fans.

But as long as no one gets hurt, we're all for a little animosity between teams and fanbases. That's part of the fun of sports.

What else is fun about sports, though, is seeing two teams that play each other a lot face off in a game they care about. So we have several games primed for just that this season.

Five NFL rivalry games to watch in 2019:

Packers at Bears, Sept. 5

We'll tell you this right now: The NFL didn't mess around in the opening week. It gave us two great rivalry games, with this being the first of the two, and a classic one at that. The Packers and Bears are two of the oldest organizations in NFL history — the Bears and Cardinals are the only two remaining teams from the early years of the league (the Cardinals were in Chicago then) — and it's a fun game every time Green Bay and Chicago get together.

These teams got 2018 off to a great start as Aaron Rodgers led a dramatic comeback after suffering an injury in the first half. This game is big as well because we'll get to see Rodgers' first real game in new coach Matt LaFleur's offense. That could be a rivalry in and of itself, but we'll see how that plays out.

Steelers at Patriots, Sept. 8

The second of two marquee rivalry games during opening week features the Steelers in the post-Antonio Brown/Le'Veon Bell era taking on the Super Bowl champion Patriots. These are not traditional rivals facing off twice a year in the division, but it's a rivalry that has been built in the postseason and in meaningful late-season games in the Tom Brady-Ben Roethlisberger era as Pittsburgh and New England have faced off in the playoffs three times in Brady's career and 11 times during the regular season.

Brady has owned this rivalry going 8-3 in the regular season and 3-0 in the postseason. That doesn't keep the Steelers from trying, though, and they will get a shot at their nemesis in their first game of the year. This will at least be a fun one, we'll let you know after it's done if it was a competitive one.

Eagles at Cowboys, Oct. 20

Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz, seemingly attached at the hip in a way because they were both drafted in 2016, will play against each other twice a year since they're in the same division. Their first shot against each other comes on Sunday, Oct. 20 in Dallas. So far, Prescott has won this rivalry, taking four out of the six contests. But Wentz got the big contract this offseason and was part of a Super Bowl-winning team in 2017. Add that storyline to Philly and Dallas fans hating each other and this is a must-watch game.

Chiefs at Chargers, Nov. 18

This might not be as storied of a rivalry as the Chiefs and Raiders, but it's still a rivalry and will be a better matchup than any with Oakland this year. It's the young gun MVP in Patrick Mahomes against the wily veteran Philip Rivers. These teams played one of the best games of the year down the stretch in 2019 and we would expect a similar situation in Week 11.

Rams at Cardinals, Dec. 1

So, we're not sure if this is going to be a good game, but there's a storyline here we thought you should be reminded of. The Cardinals recently signed wide receiver Michael Crabtree to a one-year deal. Aqib Talib plays cornerback for the Rams. Talib has a serious problem with Crabtree's necklace and doesn't want him wearing one. We hope something crazy goes down again and we will be keeping our eyes open for shenanigans.

Thomas Lott