30 greatest NFL team rivalries of all-time

13. San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks

Up until last season, the rivalry between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks was on a bit of a decline due to only one team being a legitimate contender in the NFC West.

While the Seahawks continued to be a serious playoff contender, the 49ers haven’t reached the playoffs since the 2013 season when they came up short in the NFC Championship.

Coincidentally, that NFC Championship Game was played against Seattle. San Francisco fans will always remember the famous deflected pass by Richard Sherman at the end of the game to seal the victory for the Seahawks.

To say this was one of the most heated rivals in the NFL from 2011 to 2013 would be a huge understatement. The Seahawks and 49ers not only played in the same division, but were also viewed as two of the top Super Bowl contenders each year in the NFC.

When looking at how intense things would get at times when these two teams would square off against one another, never in a million years did anyone ever think that Richard Sherman of all players would end up in San Francisco. That’s exactly what happened last season.

Any Seattle fan still upset over Sherman joining a rival needs to remember that it was the Seahawks who decided to move on from the veteran cornerback.

And while some will claim that Sherman isn’t nearly as good as he used to be, at least his presence with the 49ers is helping make the rival exciting again.