An intense defensive rivalry was in the making five years ago in the NFC West; what happened to it?
During the 2000s, the great defensive rivalry in the NFL was between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens. Both teams’ defenses were tough, physical, and feared by other teams around the league. From 2011 to 2014, the defensive rivalry between Pittsburgh and Baltimore moved over to the West Coast, where the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers battled for NFC West dominance and defensive supremacy in the NFL.
For four straight years both the Seahawks and the 49ers boasted top-10 defenses.