Rivalries often form in the divisions purely off playing each other frequently, especially when both teams are good. Not all rivalries are created equal, however. For example, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tried, and still try, to force a rivalry with the New Orleans Saints when Tom Brady came to town.
Admittedly, Brady versus Drew Brees and Marshon Lattimore versus Mike Evans felt like chapters for an exciting rivalry. However, there never felt like enough true animosity between the fanbases to call it a true rivalry.
Everyone knows the Atlanta Falcons are the Saints’ true rival. As Cameron Jordan told Julian Edelman, “It’s the only one that matters.” There were some fun moments over the years with Tampa Bay, but Evans is the only one of the quartet still standing. No matter how many pieces come and go between New Orleans and Atlanta, the level of vitriol doesn’t fade.
“The only one that matters” is a great description of the Saints’ relationship with other teams around the division. The Saints have had a tense stretch of games with the Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers. They’ve faced both of those rivals in the playoffs. If either the Saints or those other teams weren’t good, though, the game didn’t matter as much.
Just look at their records against each other. The Saints are 56-55 against the Falcons, 31-29 against the Panthers, and 40-26 against the Buccaneers.
There’s only one pair of teams where records don’t matter, where hate week is mandatory, where animosity is eternal. That’s the Saints and Falcons. In Jordan’s words, “the only one that matters.”
