Poll: Do the Patriots have a rival?…If so, who is it?

The latest marketing idea out of the National Football League corporate offices in New York is to brand and monetize rivalries beginning in the 2025 season.

The Shield is kicking off "Rivalries," a program where teams will wear special uniforms for select home games against rivals, and the New England Patriots have been selected as one of the league's Guinee Pig teams for the new program and the fresh threads it brings.

Only the AFC East and the NFC West is participating during the 2025 season. It's also an important note to many Pats fans that the new "Rivalries" jerseys will be added in addition to existing alternate uniforms, meaning the red throwback "Pat Patriot" jerseys will not be affected by the new look.

So, based on the limited information Nike put forth, we know the jerseys will be worn in Foxborough vs. either Buffalo, Miami or the Jets.

During my 23 seasons as a Pats fan, the Jets have been the only team in the division to really merit that title of a rival. While the sides were never on level playing terms, the Rex Ryan-led squads always had a way of adding a little extra juice around those contests.

Let's expand beyond the parameters of this program for a second, though. Whether in the East or from elsewhere, do the Patriots have a true rival?

To develop a rivalry you need familiarity but also competition. For much of New England's history, they weren't all that competitive. Then once they got good, they were better than everyone else. For my money, the team's best rivals have always been intra-conference rather than within the division.

Whether it was regular season and playoff battles with Peyton Manning's Colts, his Broncos in later years, or those pesky Ravens in January, all three of those squads always struck greater fear in my heart than any games played against a divisional foe.

What do you think? Do the Pats even have a true rival? If so, who do you consider it to be?