Each NFL division’s most significant rivalry of all time

NFC West: Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers

The NFC West has had several interesting rivalries in recent years. At its peak, the San Francisco 49ers vs. the Seattle Seahawks was one of the best in football. Seattle always plays weird games with the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams. Through in the Arizona Cardinals and things are very unpredictable out west. However, the rivalry between the 49ers and Rams has held up over time.

While the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints struggled for the most part in their early decades as a franchise, the old NFC West would usually come down to who played better than season between the 49ers and the Rams. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Rams were on top, but the West Coast offense made the 49ers absolutely terrifying in the 1980s and 1990s.

Both rivals were not without considerable down periods in the 2000s. The Rams were hopeless during the final 10 years of their two-decade run in St. Louis. They eventually bounced back in the late 2010s under Sean McVay. San Francisco has had some atrocious teams in the 21st century, outside of the brief Jim Harbaugh era and the current run the 49ers are on under Kyle Shanahan.

Since their first meeting in 1950 when the 49ers joined the league, they have met 141 times, with San Francisco holding the slightest of edges at 71-67-3. The 49ers also won the only postseason game between the two coming back in 1990. This rivalry has had its ebbs and flows over the years in its intensity. It’s a bond that the Cardinals and Seahawks can never really challenge.