It isn’t as if the rivalry between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders needed any extra spice.
For what will be a 65th season, the teams have slugged it out. Many times with the divisional title, playoffs and even a trip to the Super Bowl at stake.
Back when they were still the Redskins, Washington was the southernmost NFL team up until the 1960s.
And they were determined to defend their territory as the entire South’s NFL franchise.
When Clint Murchison Jr. applied for an NFL franchise in Dallas, the owners in Pittsburgh and Washington moved to block it.
Pittsburgh just hated the South. For the Redskins, it was a little more personal.
George Preston Marshall was the owner of the Redskins. In 1958, Murchison tried to buy the Redskins and move them to Dallas.
The deal fell apart at the last minute and Marshall was not happy.
So when Murchison went to get an expansion team placed in Dallas, Marshall used the power of an Owner’s veto to nix the idea.
All it took then was just one owner to block any expansion city. While Pittsburgh relented, Marshall held fast.
Until Murchison bought the rights to “Hail To The Redskins” – Washington’s beloved team theme song and gave Marshall an ultimatum.
Remove the block or forget ever playing the song at the games.
The Dallas Cowboys began play in 1960 and the two franchises have hated each other ever since. The hate lives on today.
And with former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn now the head coach in Washington – and poaching players – don’t expect it to die anytime soon.
Against The RedskinsCommanders
Dallas is 78-48-2 against Washington all-time. The Cowboys are 43-17-2 at home in these games and 35-31 in D.C.
The two ties came in the first two home games at the Cotton Bowl – 28-28 in 1961 and 35-35 in 1962.
Dallas then won the next three home games, before losing at home in 1966 and 1967. The Cowboys won the last three games played at the Cotton Bowl.
Dallas’ first win in D.C. was a 38-10 win in 1962.
Washington won the first meeting at Texas Stadium 20-16 in 1971 before Dallas won nine of the next 10 games.
From 1983-1991, Washington enjoyed some success, winning six of the nine games including three straight from 1987-1989.
But the Cowboys have dominated the series since. The highlight was a nine-game home win streak from 1996-2004.
Dallas has won three straight at home and seven of the last eight. Washington has fared a little better when playing at their home stadium but not by much.
After winning five of the first six in D.C., the Redskins saw Dallas reel off six straight wins.
Washington rebounded with a five-game home win streak from 1972-1975 – including a 26-3 win in the NFC Championship game.
But since then they have only had a pair of three-game win streaks and a few back-to-back wins to show for their efforts.
The Cowboys have put together longer runs in D.C. games. Dallas won four straight road games from 1998-2001 and a five game run from 2013-2017.
The Cowboys won the last meeting in D.C. last year, 38-10.
Washington does have one not-so-small claim to hold over Dallas’ heads. The teams have met twice in the playoffs and both times for the NFC Championship.
Washington has won both games.
In addition to the 1972 title win – with the Redskins falling to the perfect Dolphins in the Super Bowl that year – Washington defeated Dallas 31-17 in the 1982 conference title game.
Both games were played in Washington.
Week 12 History
Dallas is a solid 41-23 in Week 12 games.
The Cowboys are 32-9 at home. But they are a woeful 9-14 away from Texas.
The team they have most often faced in Week 12 is this year’s opponent: Washington. Dallas is 12-4 all-time in Week 12 games versus the Commanders.
The Cardinals (4-1) and Giants (3-2) are the next most-common at five games.
There are only three NFL teams the Cowboys have never played in Week 12. The Rams, the Texans, and the Titans.
Week 18 History
The NFL only began regularly scheduling Week 18 games back in 2021. Dallas is 3-1 all-time in these games.
But the Cowboys did play a Week 18 game back in 1993, when the NFL scheduled two bye weeks as a short-lived experiment.
In 1993, Emmitt Smith rushed for 168 yards to lead the Cowboys to a 16-13 overtime win over the Giants in New York. The win gave the NFC East title — and the No. 1 seed – to Dallas.
The next Week 18 game was a 51-26 rout of the Eagles in Philadelphia in 2021.
The last two Week 18 games were played in Washington. The Commanders won the 2022 meeting, 26-6 with Dallas winning last year 38-10.
This year’s Week 18 game will be the first time the Cowboys will play at home in the 18th week of the season.
My Prediction
(based on rosters as of today)
The Cowboys should sweep the rebuilding Commanders. But both games should be considered trap games and Dallas can’t go into either over-confident.
Predicted Week 12 season record: 4-7.
Predicted Week 18 season record: 8-9.
