For it was a fear of the Bills' Jim Kelly and the Dolphins' Dan Marino - division rivals the Jets play twice each - that played a role in the decision to switch to an aggressive, single-coverage defense.

Tampa Bay snapped a four-game losing streak by beating their division rivals the Minnesota Vikings in their second meeting of the season.

Team loyalty is a matter of geography here, with bitter divisions of the north (Cubs) versus the south (Sox) rivaling those of the Civil War.

The 2012 season began in disappointing fashion with four straight losses to the Washington Redskins, their division rivals the Carolina Panthers, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Green Bay Packers.

This is due to old NFL scheduling formulas in place prior to 2002; the Jaguars had played the Chargers' division rivals the Kansas City Chiefs four times; the Denver Broncos three times and the Oakland Raiders twice (though not since 1997).

On July 17, during their 15th game of the season, the Gladiators were officially eliminated from playoff contention when their division rivals the Milwaukee Iron defeated the Orlando Predators.

In the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, the Stallions defeated their southern division rivals the Tampa Bay Bandits with a convincing 36-16 win at Legion Field in front of 32,000.

When the Giants (10-0) play their division rivals the Eagles (6-4) Sunday in Philadelphia, their offensive line will be put to the test.

If you want a break from the spectacle of grown men beating each other to a bloody pulp, check out Memphis's AAA minor league baseball team, the Redbirds, who will play their division rivals the Oklahoma RedHawks all weekend at the glorious downtown AutoZone stadium.

Then, when their divisions rival the Detroit Lions came to town, the Bears defended their turf and won 13-10.