[ratings]
[tags]Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins[/tags]
The Cowboys historically have had success at home against the Redskins. The memorable games (even losses) jump out even to casual fans:
* Clint Longley leading Dallas to a come-from-behind 24-23 come-from-behind win on Thanksgiving in 1974.
* Roger Staubach leading Dallas to a 35-34 win in his last regular season game in 1979.
* The Texas Stadium crowd singing Happy Birthday to Joe Theismann during a 44-14 rout of the Redskins in 1985.
* The Redskin scabs coming to Texas Stadium in 1987 and beating the Cowboys, who started several regulars.
* The Monday Night Football matchup in 1991, featuring a long run by Emmitt Smith in an otherwise disappointing 33-31 loss.
* The Redskins scoring two late touchdowns to pull out a 14-13 win in 2005 and ruining the induction of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin in the Ring of Honor.
With these memories in mind, here are some other facts about the history of the rivalry games played in Dallas.
Cowboys vs. Redskins at the Cotton Bowl
* Dallas recorded a 6-3-2 record against the Redskins at the Cotton Bowl. Ironically, the Cowboys had more success when they were developing as a team (3-0-2 between 1961 and 1965) than when they were one of the better teams in the league (3-3 between 1966 and 1971).
* The first two games between Dallas and Washington resulted in ties: 28-28 in 1961 and 35-35 in 1962.
* The Redskins were the first team to beat the Cowboys during the 1971 season, winning 20-16. It was the final game played in the Cotton Bowl between the clubs.
Cowboys vs. Redskins at Texas Stadium
* The Cowboys have dominated the series at Texas Stadium, winning 26 of 35 games.
* Dallas won the first game at Texas Stadium in 1972 in a 34-24 thriller.
* Here is the Sports Illustrated story covering the Mad Bomber game of 1974. Below are a couple of pictures from the article:
Clint Longley
Drew Pearson
* In July, I posted a story about and a clip showing Larry Cole’s tackle on John Riggins in the Cowboys’ 35-34 win in the final game of 1979.
* As we face turbulent economic times, let us remember that the Cowboys lost to the Redskins’ replacement players on the evening of Monday, October 20, 1987, which was the day the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 22.6%. Not a good day either way.
* One of Emmitt Smith’s first big moments came on Monday Night Football vs. Washington in 1991 when he raced 75 yards for a touchdown. He missed most of the rest of the game with flu, however, and Dallas gave up a 21-10 first half lead in a 33-31 loss.
* Since 1991, the Redskins have only won twice at Texas Stadium: a 24-17 win in an otherwise forgettable 6-10 season in 1995; and the surreal 14-13 win achieved in 2005 through the heroics of Mark Brunell and Santana Moss.
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