Ranking the 25 biggest NFL rivalries of all time

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Oakland defensive tackle John Matuszak hits Pittsburgh quarterback Terry Bradshaw after he throws a pass in the Raiders 24-7 win over the Steelers in the 1976 AFC Championship Game on 12/26/1976. (Photo by Arthur Anderson/Getty Images) /

4. Top NFL Rivalries – Las Vegas Raiders vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

All-Time History: Raiders lead 17-13
First Meeting: Oct. 25, 1970 (Raiders 31, Steelers 14)
Last Meeting: Sept. 19, 2021 (Raiders 26, Steelers 17)
Postseason History: Tied 3-3

The nastiest rivalry of the 1970s was the battle for supremacy in the AFC between the Steelers and the Raiders. Incredibly, we can actually pinpoint the exact moment that the rivalry was truly born, and it came came back in 1972 during the Immaculate Reception game.

The Immaculate Reception sent the Steelers to the AFC Championship Game and outraged the Raiders, who felt that the officials had screwed them out of a win by blowing the call. The rivalry was officially born at that point as the teams met frequently throughout the decade, delivering physical games that were highly entertaining as well.

Pittsburgh and Oakland had five consecutive playoff meetings in the 1970s with the Steelers going 3-2 over that span. The winner of the last three postseason contests went on to win the Super Bowl, signifying how dominant those two franchises were at the time.

The rivalry did cool down a bit after the 1970s in terms of physicality but the two franchises still don’t like each other to this day. The Raiders won the most recent meeting between the two teams, beating the Steelers 26-17 at Heinz Field in September, and lead the overall series 17-13.

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