what two nfl teams have played against each other the most
National Football League rivalries At 93 games played, the series between the Falcons and Saints in the NFC South is the oldest and most established rivalry in the division.[when?][citation needed] Born one year apart, the Saints and Falcons were the first two NFL franchises in the Deep South (Dallas being arguably southern but not in the traditional Deep South). They have shared many of the same players, such as Morten Andersen (the leading scorer in Saints History, as Falcons Kicker Matt Bryant is now the leading scorer in Falcons history ), Bobby Hebert (who quarterbacked for both teams in the 1990s), and Joe Horn (the Pro Bowl Saints receiver who left for the Falcons in 2007). They have also drawn coaches from the same families, and even shared a head coach: recent Falcons coach Jim L. Mora is the son of longtime Saints coach Jim E. Mora, and former Falcons and Saints coach Wade Phillips is the son of former Saints coach Bum Phillips. Although rarely noted by the national media—no doubt due to both teams' long stretches of futility until the opening decade of the 21st century—games between the Falcons and Saints have riveted their respective regions for more than 40 years. Fans of both teams consider the other their most important and hated opponent.