This was a piece I wrote for something else, but by request of Indiana Pittsburgh Fan, I'm sharing it here also!! Enjoy!!
There are so many rivalries in football, I can’t talk about them all without writing a book. I narrowed down the best ones and picked one from the east coast and one from the west coast to really dive into. From the west, we have Seattle vs. San Francisco, and from the east, Pittsburgh vs. Baltimore.
WEST COAST
Let’s talk west coast first… San Francisco and Seattle are both coming back this year from very good seasons last year. The 49ers were 11-4-1, finished 1st in the west, and won the division and the conference, before losing the Super Bowl to the Baltimore Ravens. The Seahawks were 11-5, finished 2nd in the west, and won the wild card playoff spot before losing the divisional game.
This season, Seattle and San Francisco will play each other twice: The first meeting is in Seattle on September 15th, during week two, and the second meeting is in San Francisco on December 8th during week fourteen. Both teams made some nice choices in the draft and some good pickups in the offseason. The 49ers picked up Anquan Boldin from the Ravens, and Seattle picked up defensive reinforcements.
We can’t talk about the rivalry between these two teams without mentioning their outstanding QBs. Russell Wilson is at the helm for Seattle; Colin Kaepernick for San Francisco. The similarities between the two are uncanny. Both guys played baseball in college as well as football. Wilson was a second baseman, first drafted by the Orioles, then the Rockies. He ended up choosing football over baseball after the 2011 season. Kaepernick was a pitcher in high school, throwing a 92mph fastball. He was offered 10 scholarships for baseball, but chose football instead.
In the 2012 season, Wilson and Kaeps played 16 and 13 games respectively. Their completion percentages for passing were only 2% apart, and their yards per attempt are separate by half a yard. Kaeps proved the more difficult QB to knock down, he was sacked only 16 times, but Wilson was sacked 33 times. Their passer ratings were both right around 100. This QB matchup is going to be the absolute best in the NFL this year.
Frank Gore and Marshawn Lynch are the two main RBs of SF and SEA, respectively. Their stats are also very similar for last year; Gore had a total of 10 TDs and Lynch had 12. Their average yardage per carry and reception are very close too, separated by less than half a yard between them. Both offenses lost their top receivers to injury, Michael Crabtree with his Achilles, and Percy Harvin with the hip injury. It’ll be awesome to watch who the standout receivers become on each team.
The defense of these two teams were ranked 3rd and 4th overall at the end of the regular season. San Fran has that deadly linebacker tandem of Navorro Bowman and Patrick Willis. But, Seattle has Richard Sherman, cornerback, and Earl Thomas, safety. It’s hard to say which defense will prevail this year. Even with Patrick Willis’ recent hand injury, both teams will have impressive defensive abilities this year.
EAST COAST
Your best east coast rivalry is brought to you by two storied franchises: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens. It’s worth mentioning that the Ravens are the former Browns, who were Pittsburgh’s biggest rival until they fled Cleveland for greener pastures. Pittsburgh finished last year with a disappointing record of 8-8, while Baltimore went on to win the Super Bowl. This divisional rivalry is always the must see of the east.
Neither team is a stranger to controversy in the past few years. Those topics come up frequently in debates about these two teams. My personal feeling is that both teams are so much alike, they can’t stand one another. The west coast rivalry is full of offensive skills dazzling fans, but the east coast rivalry is a gritty matchup of two blue collar cities’ teams.
For the QB matchup, we have veterans Ben Roethlisberger and Joe Flacco. Similar in size and playing style, these two are much different than the west coast QBs. They both passed for over 3,000 yards in the 2012 season, have similar completion percentages, and also yards per attempt. Their passer ratings were separated by 10 points, with Roethlisberger besting Flacco.
The QBs of these two teams are no doubt some of the biggest stars, but the defenses are the main storylines of this rivalry. The Steelers, most recently led by James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley, Ike Taylor, Troy Polamalu, and company. The Baltimore defense was equally intimidating, led by Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, and Ed Reed. Both defenses scared opposing teams offenses, especially their QBs.
The two teams lost some key defensive playmakers in the offseason. The Steelers lost James Harrison to divisional rival Cincinnati, then Ray Lewis retired, and Ed Reed went to Houston, post Baltimore Super Bowl win. Even with the loss of some of the biggest names for both teams, this rivalry will be one that never dies. It will definitely be interesting between these two teams this year.
Some people think the Steelers will once again miss the playoffs; some people think since they’re the underdog, they will avenge last year’s dismal season. Can Baltimore come off a Super Bowl winning season and repeat their success? Or will they fall victim to their success and tank this year? This rivalry, although surrounded by so many questions, will prove to be an interesting battle on the field. Look for these two teams to go head to head in Pittsburgh on October 20th, and in Baltimore November 28th.