New York Giants: 4 Most Despised Opponents in Franchise History

The New York Giants have a long, storied history that includes some of the greatest games of all time (1958, 2007). Many of those great games came against fearsome, hated opponents that make the game of football what we all know and love.

A violent sport.

What better to bring out the violence of football than a game (or two) against your most hated opponent. Adrenaline pumping, hearts beating, and heads crashing—rivalry games are what fans live for.

So who are the most hated rivals of the New York Giants? These seem obvious, but it's fun to look at all the same.

Though most of the meetings between the two teams have come in the annual preseason game, it's no secret that the Giants and Jets are rivals.

The cross town foes are always looking to out perform the other, and it would appear that the Jets have the upper hand at the moment.

Rex Ryan added fuel to the fire this year when he claimed the Jets are the kings of New York, and will be for the next 10 years. The two teams face off in Week 16 with a chance to lay an actual claim to that title.

Although the rivalry has lost a bit of its luster during the Dan Snyder era for the Redskins, the Giants and 'Skins will always be rivals.

The 1980s were a time where the rivalry was seemingly at its peak; the Lawrence Taylor hit on Joe Theismann will never be forgotten.

During the days of Phil Simms and Bill Parcells versus Joe Gibbs and Doug Williams, the rivalry allowed for many classic matchups and great ratings for TV stations.

The Giants have played the Redskins in the regular season more than any other team in NFL history, with a record of 91-61-4 in the regular season, and 1-1 in the playoffs.

The Giants easily have the upper hand as of now, but you never know when the tide may turn.

The Cowboys have definitely owned the Giants over the years, and given that fact most people would call them their most hated rival. 

The Giants are an abysmal 39-56-2 against the Cowboys, who became a franchise in 1960 after the Dallas Texans left for Kansas City. 

The Cowboys have always been a relevant franchise and have been affectionately dubbed "America's Team," which probably makes the hatred for them that much more prevalent. 

It's hard to distinguish between the Cowboys and Eagles as the most hated rival, and maybe it should be 1a and 1b so as not to do them a disservice, but what is clear is that all three teams form three of the best rivalries in sports. 

The Eagles-Giants rivalry is one of the biggest and baddest in NFL history, and maybe second only to Bears-Packers. 

Sports Illustrated called the Giants-Eagles rivalry the fourth best in all of sports, and it could get even better in 2011.

LeSean McCoy started a firestorm when he called Osi Umenyiora "overrated n soft" via his Twitter account. Osi replied by calling McCoy "Lady Gaga" and the heat was on.

Since then, Justin Tuck, Steve Smith and Keith Bulluck have all lashed out at McCoy, calling him an "Internet gangster."

Needless to say, Week 3 can't come soon enough.

The Giants hold an 82-70-2 advantage over the Eagles along with a 2-2 record in the playoffs; the two have been facing each other since 1933, and it doesn't appear they will end their rivalry any time soon. The two teams are separated by only 100 miles of highway.

There have been plenty of moments that will stand the test of time, unfortunately most of them favor the Eagles—the Chuck Bednarik hit on Frank Gifford, both Miracles at the Meadowlands and the Randall Cunningham gumby play.

Right now I truly believe this rivalry comes with the most hatred in football, only closely matched by those involving the other teams in the NFC East, and perhaps Ravens-Steelers and Jets-Pats.

That's the great thing about football: every team has that one team that they would love to pound in to submission each and every season, and each year they are showcased for our viewing pleasure.