Who is the Redskins Most Hated Non-Division Team?

The average Redskins fan can't stand the Giants and the Eagles and harbors a deep-seated hate of all things Dallas Cowboys (although I must admit I'm beginning to like their owner more and more). The dislike of our division foes is obvious. The real question is: what team outside of the division makes your blood boil the most when they face off against the burgundy and gold? Most of you likely already have a team or two in mind, but let's take a look at some head to head history before we jump to any conclusions.

**Please note that I did not include AFC teams, because in my opinion it's hard to develop any kind of sustained rivalry or animosity between two teams when they only play each other once every 4 years. **

The deeper question may be: what makes you dislike a team and why? Frequently facing off against an opponent is a start, but that's not always enough; especially when you've dominated them historically. This would seem to rule out the Lions, Cardinals and Rams. However, it should be noted that we have alternated wins and losses with the Rams over the last 5 years. Perhaps it's the other way around and that the dislike is derived from a lack of success against an opponent. If so the Packers and the 49ers would certainly fit the bill. A good back and forth rivalry is definitely a quick way to develop bitterness between teams, particularly when the stakes are high. We are just about .500 against the Bears, Vikings and Buccaneers and we have met each of them in postseason on multiple occasions.

If you asked me this question about 7 years ago I would've emphatically answered that I hated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers more than any other Non-NFC East team. I still cringe when I think of Dan Turk's botched snap in the 1999 Playoffs and Mike Alstott's phantom goal line touchdown in 2005. We have played the Bucs more than any other team in the Dan Snyder era and maybe they are our biggest non-division rival, but the question is which team do you dislike the most right now and for me the answer is clearly the Seattle Seahawks.

The Redskins actually hold a fairly impressive record against the Seahawks in the regular season, but unfortunately the Seahawks have come out on top when it matters the most. The Redskins have made the playoffs 3 times in the last 8 years and they have been knocked by Seattle in each of those postseason appearances. The Skins were riding long winning streaks going into each into each of those 3 contests (of 6, 4 and 7 games), and they had the potential to make more noise in the playoffs than they ultimately did. We've all seen how important being hot at the right time can be to making a deep playoff run. It isn't just about those 3 losses though.

I am not a fan of Pete Carroll, his ra ra college coaching style and the way in which he left USC high and dry just before the inevitable NCAA sanctions hit. The Seahawks players have followed Carroll's lead by breaking some rules of their own. Seattle earned the nickname "the Sea-Adderall Seahawks" by leading the league in Adderall suspensions since 2011 (5 suspensions). That success is spilling over into 2013 as Bruce Irvin has already picked up a 4 game ban for the club. You would think that all that good coffee would be enough keep them alert and focused over there, but I guess it's not.

The only Seahawk that got out of his Adderall suspension is the team's most polarizing player, Richard Sherman. Sherman is by all accounts a great player, and he is arguably one of the best corners in the league; but his performance on the field is too often overshadowed by his smug, condescending attitude and incessant trash talking. He would be better served by waiting until his team had actually won something before acting that way. Especially when addressing a one Mr. Trent "Silverback" Williams who followed through on his promise to "punch Sherman in his goddamn face".

Seattle boasts one of the league's most talented rosters, and because of that there's a very good chance that if the Redskins want to get to the Superbowl they'll have to go through the Seahawks first. With RG3 and Russell Wilson entering into only their 2^nd year in the league this could easily develop into one of the biggest rivalries in the NFL over the next decade. For that reason, the playoff defeats and the actions of the team itself the Seattle Seahawks should remain my most hated Non-NFC East team for quite some time.

There are a lot of good choices for this topic so I'm sure that many of you have another team in mind. What non-division NFC team do you despise most and why?