Ranking Seahawks vs. 49ers With the Top 10 Current NFL Rivalries

This rivalry has a good chance to grow even bigger in the coming years. The interstate matchup hasn't received as much national attention because of Cleveland's struggles. That has changed this year and the Browns' dominating performance against the Bengals on national TV was big for this rivalry. Johnny Manziel lurking in the background adds some more intrigue and hopefully he will soon be a part of the action on the field.

The easiest way to form a rivalry is to have two good quarterbacks. These two teams easily meet those requirements with Manning and Rivers. The games between San Diego and Denver have been compelling since Peyton Manning came to the Broncos. They met three times last season, all of them decided by one score.

The obvious problem with this rivalry is that it has been one-sided in the Patriots' favor. That is true, but it has still provided some exciting games. The Jets seem to genuinely dislike the Patriots while New England appears to just be annoyed with New York. The contrasting styles makes for an interesting matchup. And let's not forget, it gave us all the butt fumble.

This rivalry is the lone bit of fun that the NFC South has left to offer. Both teams throw the ball all over the place on offense, which makes for exciting back and forth games. It also satisfies the interesting quarterback matchup with Matt Ryan and Drew Brees. The lack of truly meaningful games in recent years does hurt this rivalry a little, but get ready for the biggest matchup of 6-9 teams in NFL history in week 16.

It seems like every time the Cowboys and Giants play, it's on prime-time. Also, every game seems to come down to the final minutes of regulation. Those are two ingredients for intensifying a rivalry. Add in two polarizing quarterbacks playing for two of the most popular teams, and you get one of the best rivalries in the league.

This clearly has the history of a great rivalry, but the recent history is much too one-sided. However, it did provide last year's winner-take-all showdown in week 17. They also met in the NFC championship game in 2011.

The Cowboys-Eagles rivalry is another that will take place on Thanksgiving day. Nothing adds fuel to a rivalry more than eliminating the other team from the playoffs. In the last six seasons, these two teams have played in two Week 17 loser-goes-home games and a playoff game. With that said, it's no surprise both teams are sitting atop the division as they get set for their turkey day game.

Admittedly, this could be renamed Brady vs. Manning instead of Patriots and Broncos. The case could be made that this should be even higher just because of Manning and Brady, but only one of the last four games has been close. The historical significance that comes with these two quarterbacks playing against one another makes it appointment TV. Luckily for us, there is a good chance we will see another round of it come playoff time.

For about a four-year stretch, this was the undisputed top rivalry in the league. Every game was close and had real playoff implications tied to it. The physicality of the games was unlike anything else in the NFL. A few of the key players that made it so great have moved on, but it remains as one of the best rivalries in the league.

The 49ers and Seahawks have basically replicated what the Steelers and Ravens had from a few years ago. It just feels different watching these two teams play compared to any other NFL game. The intensity level is so high, and the stakes have also been very high in their matchups, including last season's epic NFC title game. Having Richard Sherman and Michael Crabtree on the same field doesn't hurt the drama either.