Biggest AFC Rivalry Games on the 2019 NFL Calendar

When you think of dominant AFC teams in the National Football League, the first name that comes immediately to mind is the New England Patriots, who have the easiest division in the conference and also have the league’s best quarterback in Tom Brady, along with a coach in Bill Belichick who knows how to scheme to win in an NFL in which salary cap rules are supposed to promote parity. However, as Brady’s era seems finally nearing an end, there are some new quarterbacks on the rise — Patrick Mahomes II in Kansas City, Baker Mayfield in Cleveland, Deshaun Watson in Houston, and Lamar Jackson in Baltimore. We’ve put together a list of some of the biggest rivalry matchups — which should draw a lot of NFL betting interest — on the AFC’s slate together for you to peruse.

Biggest AFC Rivalry Games on the 2019 NFL Calendar

Raise your hand if you think the @Browns will win the AFC North this year 🙋‍♂️🙋‍♂️@WillieMcGinest and Jordan Palmer dive into the hype surrounding Believeland ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/8g53DFJqTV

— NFL Total Access (@NFLTotalAccess) July 26, 2019

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland Browns

• Cleveland, November 14
• Pittsburgh, December 1

Cleveland is the favorite to win the AFC North. That is not a sentence that one sees a whole lot. Now that they are a contender, the Browns are going to be taken seriously in the rivalry with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Thanks to some bad Cleveland kicking, the Browns had to settle for a tie with Pittsburgh in the opener last year, and then the Steelers won by 15 later in the season. Cleveland has not beaten Pittsburgh since the 2014 campaign, but if they want the league to give them respect, the Browns need to knock off the perennial AFC North winners, and there is plenty of enmity between the two fan bases to keep this rivalry alive.

New England Patriots vs Kansas City Chiefs

• New England, December 8

The Patriots beat the Chiefs twice last year, even though Kansas City scored 71 points in the two losses. In both cases, Tom Brady and the Patriots’ offense did just enough to hold off Kansas City — and the Patriots’ defense stood tall in the AFC Championship matchup, holding Kansas City’s offense in check for the first half. It will be interesting to see if Rob Gronkowski returns for the Patriots or stays in retirement, because without Gronk the Patriots’ offense will struggle. The Chiefs have added more talent on defense, so things will be even more interesting than in 2018.

Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers

• Pittsburgh, October 6
• Baltimore, December 29

Baltimore knocked off Pittsburgh in the 2015 playoffs, and since then the teams have split eight contests, including a split last year. Pittsburgh looks like they are heading toward a rebuild, with Antonio Brown out the door and an aging Ben Roethlisberger still at quarterback, and a defense that has a lot of question marks. Baltimore has already embraced transition, shipping Joe Flacco to Denver and making Lamar Jackson the unquestioned starter at quarterback. Just like Cleveland, if Baltimore wants respect in the AFC North, they have to knock off Pittsburgh.

Kansas City Chiefs vs Los Angeles Chargers

• Mexico, November 18
• Kansas City, December 29

In Week 15 last year, the Chargers came back from 14 points down to win on a two-point conversion, ending a nine-game losing streak to the Chiefs. When he isn’t throwing awful interceptions, Philip Rivers is one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the NFL, and the Chargers are considered contenders this year. These could be the games that decide the AFC West and if the Patriots actually stumble this year, this could be the game for one of the byes in the postseason. Stay tuned to this renewal of a rivalry that goes all the way back to the days of the AFL.