San Francisco 49ers: Power ranking the franchise’s top 5 rivalries

Everyone hates the Dallas Cowboys, especially San Francisco 49ers fans. But who are some other top rivalries for the red and gold?

The San Francisco 49ers have been mostly competitive since the world was introduced to the Rubik’s Cube (circa 1980).

With that amount of storied success and longevity as a franchise over the years comes a great deal of rivalries. Winning five Super Bowls in a 20-year span is going to cause a lot of opposing fans and franchises to hate you, especially teams playing in the same state as you.

There are also interdivisional rivalries, which also create heat and animosity paralleling the chase for a divisional crown. It seems like on a year-to-year basis, some of these NFC West rivalries flare up and add yet more chapters to what has been a series of heated rivalries over the years, both between teams, players and coaches.

Other rivalries, meanwhile, are based on what happened in the playoffs. There are a couple of teams who, all too often, ended San Francisco’s postseason campaigns in heartbreaking fashion on a seemingly regular basis. Doing so in front of a national audience only added more fuel to the nature of these rivalries, too.

It’s no secret many 49ers matchups over the years have pulled some of the highest TV ratings on a season-to-season basis due to the intensity and ferocity of the matchups, but who are the “all-time” Niners opponents that really stand out?

Let’s dive in.