There are two kinds of rivalries in sports: the old and new.
Old rivalries such as Philadelphia Eagles-New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs-Oakland Raiders or Green Bay Packers-Chicago Bears are rivalries that have lasted the test of time.
However, every few years two teams become outstanding simultaneously and start a tug-of-war that did not exist before, which headlines the National Football League. Examples include New England Patriots-Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks-San Francisco 49ers or Pittsburgh Steelers-Baltimore Ravens just to name a few. Green Bay Packers-Seattle Seahawks is not only the most recent one, but it has become the best new rivalry in football.
Green Bay Packers-Seattle Seahawks has become the NFL’s best clash. It is the best illustration of the paradoxical question of what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? One team has an explosive offense while the other has an impenetrable defense. Two teams that shape the playoff seeding anytime they play, dominate their respective divisions and are the two prohibited favorite represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. There are plenty of other entertaining rivalries, but none are currently better than Green Bay – Seattle.
Green Bay Packers-Seattle Seahawks: The Best New NFL Rivalry
Great Teams
The Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks have been the two most consistent NFC teams since 2012. Since the birth of the Legion of Boom, these two teams have made the playoffs every year without fail, and next season they will, once again, be the two preseason favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Both of these teams have dominated their respective divisions with Seattle, winning the NFC West in 2013, ‘14, ’16, and a second-place finish in 2012, and ’15, while Green Bay won the NFC North every year since 2012 except in 2015, when they finished second.
Great teams tend to have top quarterbacks, and it is the case for both of those teams. Aaron Rodgers is among the greatest players to have ever play football while another Lombardi Trophy would make Russell Wilson a future Hall of Famer. As of now, Rodgers is the only quarterback to have a career passer rating over the century mark, currently standing at 104.1, while Wilson’s ranks second at 99.6. Both of these quarterbacks are great at protecting the football and seldom make mistakes.
The Legion of Boom is one of the greatest defenses of all time. Led by their brash secondary, the Seahawks defense has led the NFL in scoring defense for a record four consecutive seasons (2012-15). In 2015, they fell to second, and in 2016 they were third. They won the Super Bowl in 2013 when their defense led the NFL in both points (14.4) and yards allowed per game (273.6).
While the Packers may not have had great defenses in recent years, they have made up for it with an incredible receiving corps. Since the beginning of the new decade, Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, and Davante Adams have played wide receivers for the green and gold. The Wisconsin armada is almost impossible to stop when in full throttle. Since 2011, Green Bay’s offense has ranked in the top ten every year save for 2015. In 2011 and 2014, they finished as the highest scoring team in the NFL.
Classic Games
In the end, for a rivalry to exist, the games must matter and be memorable. Anytime Seattle and Green Bay play against one another, the NFC playoff seeding is involved. Next fall they will play against each other during week one of the NFL regular season, and already there will be noise about this game being an NFC Championship Game preview.
They must be the kind of games that fans will never forget, and there is no denying that Seahawks-Packers have given football fans plenty of memorable games in recent memory.
It all started with the Fail Mary Game in a Monday Night Football showdown during week three of the 2012 NFL season. The game started all the controversy surrounding the Replacement Refs.
The next game was the 2014 season opener where the ‘Hawks dismantled the Pack as they lifted the championship banner in CenturyLink Field. The game was sensational for Seahawk fans, but not football fans as Seattle won 36-16.
At season’s end, the two teams met in the unforgettable NFC Championship Game. Russell Wilson played one of the worst games of his entire career, throwing four interceptions. The Legion of Boom responded with a lights-out performance, and on the other side, Aaron Rodgers overcame a torn right calf to guide his Packers to a 16-0 halftime lead and eventually a game-tying field goal in the last seconds to send the game into overtime. However, it would not be enough as Wilson connected with Jermaine Kearse for a 35-yard touchdown in overtime to win the game 28-22.
The following season, they met in a week two showdown that lived up to the hype. It was a close game heading into the fourth quarter (17-16 Seattle), but the ‘Hawks had issues closing games in 2015, and it became their demise as Aaron Rodgers and company won the last quarter 11-0 to win the game 27-17.
Last year, the Packers-Seahawks game was in the midst of the ‘run the table’ comments made by Aaron Rodgers, and while it was unforgettable for Packer fans, it was not an entertaining game since Green Bay obliterated Seattle 38-10.
Early on in the rivalry, games went in Seattle’s favor. However, the Packers have been able to win in the past few seasons, which has given the duel credibility. And, next season these two teams will once again be two major players in determining who comes out of the NFC.
