The Redskins and Cowboys will meet Monday for the 17th time on “Monday Night Football,” matching the Broncos-Raiders rivalry for the most common Monday night series in NFL history.
Washington and Dallas have split their 16 Monday night matchups since 1973. Seven of the 16 games have been decided by three points or less, including the last five.
Here’s a look back at the series, which has featured thrilling comebacks, unlikely heroes and at least a couple of games that should never be spoken of again.
Oct. 8, 1973 – RFK Stadium
Redskins 14, Cowboys 7 | Box Score | Game Story
The first “Monday Night Football” meeting between the longtime rivals was a classic, and it wasn’t decided until Redskins safety Ken Houston brought down Cowboys running back Walt Garrison inches shy of the goal line with 24 seconds left.
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“That’s the biggest tackle I’ve made in my life,” Houston said.
The Cowboys limited Redskins running back Larry Brown to 36 yards on 18 carries and held Washington scoreless for 56 minutes in a defensive struggle. The Redskins tied the score 7-7 on a Sonny Jurgensen touchdown pass to Charley Taylor with 3:39 to play. One minute later, Washington took the lead on a 26-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Cowboys backup quarterback Craig Morton, who replaced the injured Roger Staubach in the third quarter, drove Dallas to the Washington 4-yard line with less than a minute remaining, but the Redskins defense held on three consecutive plays before Houston’s game-saving tackle.
“Every play in the game was like a civil war,” Redskins Coach George Allen said. “Every play we gave a little more blood. Every play meant the game. … I don’t think we’ve ever had a team that showed more character than tonight. We’re so proud of the Redskins, and what a game for the nation to see!”
Postscript: Both teams finished the regular season 10-4. The Redskins lost in the division round of the playoffs to the Minnesota Vikings, who knocked off the Cowboys in the NFC championship one week later.
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Oct. 2, 1978 – RFK Stadium
Redskins 9, Cowboys 5 | Box Score | Game Story
“In the presence of President Carter, the Washington Redskins rolled out their most potent weapon of all — a dominant defense that spelled doomsday for the Dallas Cowboys last night at RFK Stadium,” The Post’s Leonard Shapiro wrote.
The Redskins’ defense was dominant. In the third quarter, Washington stopped Dallas on six consecutive plays from inside the Redskins 10.
“We just whipped them at the line,” Redskins Coach Jack Pardee said. “We just whipped them at the line.”
Mark Moseley booted field goals of 52, 47 and 27 yards in the win, which improved Washington to 5-0.
The final play of the game — a voluntary safety by the Redskins — could’ve been disastrous. With three seconds remaining, Joe Theismann took the snap at the Redskins 15 and jogged backwards with the ball held high. Dallas’s Randy White gave chase and Theismann eventually stepped out of the back of the end zone to end the game.
“I just wanted to run the clock out, but I sort of drew a mind block,” Theismann said. “I saw the clock run down and I held the ball up. The Dallas guys made a good play. I shouldn’t have done that. If I get the chance again, I’ll be in the third seat of the second row with it.”
Postscript: The Redskins improved to 8-3 after an overtime win against the Giants on Nov. 12, but lost their last five games of the season and missed the playoffs. Dallas went 12-4 and lost to the Steelers in the Super Bowl.
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Sept. 8, 1980 – RFK Stadium
Cowboys 17, Redskins 3 | Box Score | Game Story
Redskins fan booed the home team during a loss that The Post’s Dave Kindred wrote was “so dull, so lifeless, so blah, it seemed choreographed by plumbers, not the imaginative artists that have made a decade of Dallas-Washington games so memorable.”
Theismann was under heavy pressure all night and finished 19 for 34 for 190 yards. The normally reliable Moseley missed two field goal attempts. Washington ran for only 58 yards on 20 carries, with 20 of them coming on one Clarence Harmon carry.
The Cowboys, who won their 16th-straight season opener, built a 10-0 halftime. Fullback Ron Springs’s four-yard touchdown run with 6:32 to play capped the scoring.
Postscript: The Redskins finished 6-10 and third in the NFC East. The Cowboys finished second in the division and advanced to the NFC championship, where they lost to the Eagles.
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Sept. 5, 1983 – RFK Stadium
Cowboys 31, Redskins 30 | Box Score | Game Story
The Redskins took a 23-3 lead into halftime of the season opener, but Dallas quarterback Danny White led the Cowboys all the way back for a stunning win.
Moseley missed a 31-yard field goal with 9:24 to play that would’ve given the Redskins a 26-17 lead and the Cowboys took advantage. Dallas went ahead 24-23 on White’s one-yard touchdown run with 2:20 remaining.
Theismann, who finished 28 of 38 for 325 yards, threw an interception on Washington’s next possession after Charlie Brown ran the wrong route. White’s one-yard touchdown pass to Doug Cosbie gave the Cowboys an insurmountable 31-23 lead.
“It was two completely different games,” Dallas Coach Tom Landry said. “In the first half, I don’t think I’ve see a team play better than Washington. In the second half, all we had to prove was that we could come back.”
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In one of the great “Monday Night Football” highlights of all-time, Redskins rookie cornerback Darrell Green saved a touchdown by chasing down Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett on a 77-yard run in the second quarter.
Postscript: The Redskins went 14-2 to win the NFC East and advanced to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Los Angeles Raiders. Dallas went 12-4 and lost a wild-card game.
Sept. 9, 1985 – Texas Stadium
Cowboys 44, Redskins 14 | Box Score | Game Story
The Cowboys’ extended their “Monday Night Football” winning streak against the Redskins to three with a blowout win in the first game in the series at Texas Stadium.
“Losing to those people is real depressing,” tackle Mark May said after the Redskins’ worst loss in six seasons.
Theismann threw five interceptions on his 36th birthday before being replaced by backup Jay Schroeder, who threw an interception on his first snap that was returned for a touchdown.
“They outplayed us and outcoached us,” Redskins Coach Joe Gibbs said. “It was their day. They made the big plays and we did not.”
Postscript: The Redskins, Cowboys and Giants all finished 10-6, but the Redskins lost the tiebreaker and missed the playoffs. Dallas lost in the divisional round to the Rams.
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Oct. 19, 1987 – Texas Stadium
Redskins 13, Cowboys 7 | Box Score | Game Story
One of the Redskins’ most improbable victories over Dallas came during the strike shortened 1987 season, when Washington’s band of replacement players defeated the veteran-laden Cowboys.
Redskins backup quarterback Tony Robinson, who was on work-release from a prison sentence, entered the game in the first quarter after Ed Rubbert suffered a shoulder injury. He completed 11 of 18 passes for 152 yards and two interceptions, but that was good enough to win on a night when Tony Dorsett was out-gained by Washington’s Lionel Vital, who was cut by the Redskins in training camp the previous year.
Ted Wilson scored the Redskins’ only touchdown on a 16-yard reverse in the third quarter and Obed Ariri kicked two field goals for Washington. Dallas was driving for a potential game-winning touchdown, but Danny White’s fourth down pass bounced out of Kelvin Edwards’s hands inside the Redskins 5-yard line to seal the upset.
“One of the most emotional locker rooms I’ve ever been in,” said Gibbs, who was carried off the field by players who would be out of jobs the next day. “The guys Mr. Cooke and [General Manager] Bobby [Beathard] got for me are everything you could ask for.”
Postscript: The Redskins won the NFC East with an 11-4 record en route to the Super Bowl XXII title. Dallas did not make the playoffs.
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Sept. 9, 1991 – Texas Stadium
Redskins 33, Cowboys 31 | Box Score | Game Story
The Cowboys had touchdown drives of 80, 80 and 84 yards on their first three possessions and built a 21-10 halftime lead, but the Redskins overcame that deficit and injuries to four starters to improve to 2-0.
Earnest Byner rushed for 101 yards and Washington’s defense limited the Cowboys to three rushing yards in the second half. Chip Lohmiller made field goals of 53, 52, 45 and 46 yards, the last one giving the Redskins a 33-24 lead with 5:39 to play.
“I’m really proud of our guys,” Gibbs said after Washington controlled the ball for 22 of 30 minutes in the second half. “I’m going to have to go back in and count the problems we have. But thank goodness we got out of it. That was a great job by our guys. They didn’t give up and it looked bleak there at the beginning.”
The win was nothing like the cakewalk Washington enjoyed against a Lions team playing without Barry Sanders the week before.
“You know how much the Redskins learned about themselves in beating the Lions, 45-0, a week ago?” Michael Wilbon wrote. “Nothing. Zippo. Nada. Now, after this 33-31 victory over the ambitious, coming Cowboys, the Redskins know more about the hand they’re holding. And it’s worth getting worked up over. Two pair at the very least, probably more like a full house.”
Sept. 7, 1992 – Texas Stadium
Cowboys 23, Redskins 10 | Box Score | Game Story
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The Redskins’ defense of their Super Bowl title got off to a sloppy start. The Cowboys blocked Kelly Goodburn’s punt for a safety after the Redskins first drive stalled and never trailed.
Emmitt Smith rushed for 139 yards and Kelvin Martin had a 79-yard punt return for a touchdown for the Cowboys, who sacked Mark Rypien twice and limited Washington to 75 yards rushing.
Postscript: The Redskins made the playoffs with a 9-7 record, but lost in the division round to the 49ers. The Cowboys won the division with a 13-3 record en route to their first Super Bowl title since 1978.
Sept. 6, 1993 – RFK Stadium
Redskins 35, Cowboys 16 | Box Score | Game Story
The Redskins made a winner of Richie Petitbon in his coaching debut and Washington improved to 1-5-1 all-time against the defending champion Cowboys in season openers with a convincing victory at home.
Mark Rypien completed 22 of 34 passes for 164 yards and three touchdowns, including the 100th of his career.
“That was very, very nice,” Petitbon said. “I wish I had longer to enjoy this one because this is one I’d really enjoy. We came in here feeling good about ourselves. We made enough mistakes in the first half to lose, but we played well enough to overcome them in the second half.”
Emmitt Smith, who was involved in a contract dispute, did not play.
Postscript: Dallas recovered to win NFC East with a 12-4 record and won their second straight Super Bowl. The Redskins finished 4-12.
Oct. 13, 1997 – Jack Kent Cooke Stadium
Redskins 21, Cowboys 16 | Box Score | Game Story
The Redskins overcame first quarter injuries to Terry Allen and Michael Westbrook to beat Dallas and gain sole possession of first-place in the NFC East.
Stephen Davis replaced Allen and ran for 94 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. Davis’s second touchdown gave Washington a 21-3 lead early in the third quarter.
“It’s crazy,” Redskins Coach Norv Turner said of Davis. “We debated whether to activate him or Marc Logan. Right now, I imagine a lot of America is saying, ‘Gosh, where did they find him?’ We knew last summer he was a guy who could make plays.”
Dexter Coakley returned a fumble for a touchdown in the third quarter and Troy Aikman threw a touchdown pass to Michael Irvin with 9:40 remaining to pull the Cowboys to within 21-16. Aikman threw incomplete on fourth down from the Redskins 39 with less than three minutes remaining to seal the win.
The Redskins defense held Emmitt Smith to 61 yards on 17 carries.
Postscript: The Redskins finished 8-7-1, but missed the playoffs. Dallas finished 6-10.
Sept. 18, 2000 – FedEx Field
Cowboys 27, Redskins 21 | Box Score | Game Story
“It has taken only three games for the Washington Redskins’ season of high hopes to be shattered into dozens of tiny pieces,” The Post’s Mark Maske wrote after the Redskins fell to 1-2 and were booed regularly during a lackluster performance at home.
Randall Cunningham started in place of the injured Aikman and threw a 76-yard touchdown pass to Chris Warren in the first half. Cunningham’s 16-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jackie Harris gave Dallas a 24-14 lead with nine minutes to play.
The Redskins pulled to within 24-21 with 5:34 remaining on a Brad Johnson touchdown pass to Mike Sellers, but a Johnson interception on Washington’s next possession led to a Cowboys field goal. Johnson was sacked as time expired on the Redskins’ last-ditch drive.
Postscript: The Redskins won five straight games after losing to the Cowboys, but finished 8-8. Turner was fired after a 9-7 loss to the Giants in December dropped the Redskins to 7-6. Dallas finished 5-11.
Oct. 15, 2001 – Texas Stadium
Cowboys 9, Redskins 7 | Box Score | Game Story
In a brutal matchup of 0-4 teams, Tim Seder’s 26-yard field goal as time expired gave Dallas its eighth straight win over the Redskins.
Washington took a 7-3 lead early in the fourth quarter on a 31-yard touchdown pass from Tony Banks to Michael Westbrook. The Redskins had the ball in Dallas territory and a 7-6 lead with less than three minutes to play, when Stephen Davis fumbled.
Anthony Wright and Emmitt Smith led the Cowboys into position for Seder’s game-winning kick. (Update: Post photographer John McDonnell, who attended most of these games, reminded me that Seder was almost trampled by the horse carrying the Cowboys’ mascot during warmups.)
Postscript: The Redskins won five straight games after the loss and finished the season 8-8, but out of the playoffs. Dallas finished last in the NFC East at 5-11.
Sept. 27, 2004 – FedEx Field
Cowboys 21, Redskins 18 | Box Score | Game Story
This matchup of 1-1 teams had an old-school feel in more ways than one, with Joe Gibbs and Mark Brunell squaring off against Bill Parcells and Vinny Testaverde.
Rod Gardner had a career-high 167 yards receiving on 10 catches, including a 46-yard completion to the Dallas 21 yard line with six seconds remaining. But Gardner couldn’t get out of bounds and Washington, which lost a challenge in the second half, was out of timeouts. The clock expired on the Redskins’ 13th loss in their last 14 games against the Cowboys.
Brunell was 25 for 43 for 325 yards in defeat. Testaverde threw a 10-yard touchdown to Jason Witten, but Dallas’s best pass of the game was a 26-yard toss from running back Richie Anderson to Terry Glenn that gave the Cowboys a 21-10 lead in the fourth quarter.
“Six more seconds is all we needed,” Redskins guard Randy Thomas said after the game. “We were just thinking what we could have done if we had just made some play, but time ran out.”
Postscript: The Redskins and Cowboys finished 6-10.
Sept. 19, 2005 – Texas Stadium
Redskins 14, Cowboys 13 | Box Score | Game Story
It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since the Monday Night Miracle.
Trailing 13-0 with four minutes to play, Brunell completed a 39-yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss on fourth and 15.
The Redskins got the ball back with less than three minutes remaining. On the second play of the drive, Brunell threw a 70-yard bomb to Moss, who outran cornerback Aaron Glenn and safety Roy Williams all the way to the end zone.
“That’s one of the great moments for me,” Gibbs said. “I can tell you that.”
“We just hung in there, and knew all we needed was a couple of plays to turn this game around,” Moss said.
Two touchdowns in 71 seconds produced one wild Redskins win, but not before a stressful final two minutes. Tyson Thompson returned the ensuing kickoff to the Washington 48-yard line. Sean Taylor broke up a pass on third down and Walt Harris made a clutch tackle on fourth down to help preserve the win.
Sept. 26, 2011 – Cowboys Stadium
Cowboys 18, Redskins 16 | Box Score | Game Story
An ugly game ended in bitter defeat for the Redskins, who were looking to improve to 3-0.
Washington took a 16-9 lead on a Rex Grossman touchdown pass to Tim Hightower in the third quarter, but the Redskins wouldn’t score again. Dan Bailey made six field goals for the Cowboys, including the go-ahead 40-yarder with 1:52 to play. Grossman fumbled on Washington’s next possession.
The Cowboys’ game-winning drive included a 30-yard Tony Romo completion to Dez Bryant on third-and-21 after Jim Haslett dialed up a blitz.
“At the end of the day, you either find a way to win, or you don’t,” Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan said. “We had some opportunities to win and we didn’t take care of it. The Cowboys found a way to get it done.”
Postscript: The Redskins finished 5-11. The Cowboys also missed the playoffs at 8-8.
Oct. 27, 2014 – AT&T Stadium
Redskins 20, Cowboys 17 (OT) | Box Score | Game Story
No one gave the 2-5 Redskins a chance against the 6-1 Cowboys — not on the road, not with Colt McCoy starting at quarterback. No matter, Kai Forbath kicked a 40-yard field goal in overtime and Bashaud Breeland broke up Tony Romo’s fourth-down throw on the Cowboys’ ensuing possession, giving Washington its first win over an NFC East foe since 2012.
“Everybody really participated in this win,” Redskins Coach Jay Gruden said. “It’s a great team win, a big win on the road. But the fact of the matter is we’re still 3-5 and have a long way to go. And we can’t lose sight of that.”
McCoy completed 25 of 30 passes for 299 yards and one interception. The former Texas star also ran for a touchdown that gave the Redskins a 17-10 lead early in the third quarter.
Postscript: The win was the highlight of a dismal 4-12 season for the Redskins, while the Cowboys rebounded to win the NFC East with a 12-4 record. Dallas lost in the division round to the Packers.
Redskins vs. Cowboys Monday Night Football By the Numbers
Record: 8-8
Total Points: Cowboys 302, Redskins 278
Average Score: Cowboys 18.9, Redskins 17.4
Longest Winning Streak: Cowboys, three games (twice)
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