The Cowboys will face a familiar foe for a Week 12 contest today.
When Dallas hits the field against the Commanders it will be the 16th time the teams have battled in the twelfth week of the season.
It will also be the 25th time in 64 seasons that the Cowboys have squared off against an NFC East rival in Week 12.
No Bye Weeks
The NFL has historically run bye weeks between Week 3 and Week 14 in the schedule.
The Cowboys have had three bye weeks fall on the third week of the schedule. Their latest bye week was Week 14 in 1990.
But Dallas has never had a bye week fall on Week 12 or Week 13.
They likely never will either.
It has everything to do with the Thanksgiving Day game. As long as Dallas hosts that holiday game there’s no way they get a bye week in Week 12.
And there’s no way the NFL will give them up to 17 days off either, which would happen with a Week 13 bye.
Changing Schedules
Week 12 — along with the first two weeks – will be the only weeks that the Cowboys will have a game result for every season played.
Today’s game will be the 64th Week 12 game in franchise history. The first two weeks also have had 64 games played.
Because 1960 was the only scheduled 12-game season in Dallas history, the next six weeks will always have fewer game results.
Weeks 13 and 14 will have one fewer all-time game results as the 14-game schedule began in 1961.
Weeks 15 and 16 will have 18 fewer games as the 16-game schedule didn’t begin until 1978.
Week 17 didn’t officially begin until 1990, nearly half of the Cowboys’ history. Although technically, a 17th week was added in 1982 to compensate for the missed games due to the strike.
The first Week 18 game was scheduled in 2021.
Week 12 All-Time
Dallas is 40-23 all-time in Week 12, not all of those games were played on Thanksgiving Day. (Note: An All-time Turkey Day record post will follow this one.)
The Cowboys are 31-9 at home in Week 12 games and a woeful 9-14 away from home. Nearly a quarter of those games have come against the Commanders.
Against the NFC East Dallas is 17-7 due to an overall record of 11-4 against Washington in games played on this week.
The Giants are the next most-faced opponent with five games and a 3-2 record.
Tied for third are the Eagles and Browns. Dallas is 3-1 against both of those teams.
Dallas is 2-1 against the Raiders. They haven’t faced any other team more than twice in a Week 12 contest.
Against The Commanders
The Cowboys are 76-48-2 all-time against the Commanders, in addition to the 11-4 Week 12 record. They own a 2,940-2,468 scoring advantage in the series.
As the two teams meet for the first time this season, Dallas is 42-17-2 at home against Washington with a 1,580-1,135 scoring advantage.
When the meet again in the season finale, the Cowboys will hold a 34-31 advantage in games played back east.
Dallas has 1,360 points scored in away games in the series to Washington’s 1,333.
The teams are 3-3 in games played since Washington abandoned the Redskins moniker prior to the 2020 season.
Washington won the last meeting between the teams back in January to close out the 2022 season. Dallas had won the previous three.
Dallas has won the last two games played at AT&T Stadium.
They are 10-4 against Washington at AT&T Stadium.
Dallas was 26-10 against the Redskins at Texas Stadium from 1972-2008. The 1982 game set for Dallas was wiped out by the strike.
The Cowboys were 6-3-2 against Washington at the Cotton Bowl between 1961-1971.
The two teams did not meet in Dallas in 1960 as they only played once and that game took place at Washington.
Dallas has met Washington just twice in the postseason. Both games were at Washington and both were for the NFC Championship.
Washington won both games – 26-3 in the 1972 title game and 31-17 just 10 years later.
ALL-TIME RECORDS VS. OPPONENTS
- NFC EAST
- GIANTS (3-2)
- EAGLES (3-1)
- COMMANDERS (11-4)
- NFC WEST
- CARDINALS (3-1)
- RAMS (0-0)
- 49ERS (1-0)
- SEAHAWKS (2-0)
- NFC SOUTH
- FALCONS (0-1)
- PANTHERS (1-1)
- SAINTS (1-1)
- BUCCANEERS (1-0)
- NFC NORTH
- BEARS (1-0)
- LIONS (0-1)
- PACKERS (1-1)
- VIKINGS (0-1)
- AFC EAST
- BILLS (0-1)
- DOLPHINS (1-0)
- PATRIOTS (0-1)
- JETS (2-0)
- AFC SOUTH
- TEXANS (0-0)
- COLTS (0-1)
- JAGUARS (1-0)
- OILERS/TITANS (0-0)
- AFC NORTH
- RAVENS (0-1)
- BENGALS (0-1)
- BROWNS (3-1)
- STEELERS (1-0)
- AFC WEST
- BRONCOS (1-1)
- CHIEFS (1-0)
- RAIDERS (2-1)
- CHARGERS (0-1)