The Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys meet for the 16th time on a Monday night in Week 8. Once a storied and unique rivalry, the showdown has shriveled over the past decade. Free agency, turn-over, and futility on the football field are the most likely culprits.
Still, the game continues to draw plenty of fan interest; warranting a Monday Night Football slot in 2014. The Cowboys hold an 8-7 lead against the Redskins on Monday Night. With a lot of luck, the Redskins hope to bring it back to even.
The Redskins have come up with some outstanding wins over the Cowboys on Monday Night in the past. Some have been season-defining, while another sticks out as being the single highlight of an otherwise dismal year.
Here I present to you the top five Redskins victories over the Cowboys on Monday Night Football.
5) Redskins 33 Cowboys 31 – September 9th 1991
Washington started off shaky on the road in this Monday Night classic. Cowboys’ running back Emmitt Smith ran for 104 yards on his first five carries as Dallas jumped to a 21-10 lead.
However, a 37-yard touchdown pass from Mark Rypien to Hall of Famer Art Monk kept the game close at halftime. When Smith fell victim to the stomach flu, Dallas abandoned the running game and paid dearly.
The Redskins stormed back and dominated the second half controlling the clock and taking a 33-24 lead. A garbage touchdown by Dallas in the closing minutes made the game seem closer than it was.
The Redskins went on to win their first eleven games en route to becoming Super Bowl XXVI champions.
4) Redskins 14 Cowboys 7 – October 8th 1973
Trailing 7-0 in the fourth quarter, Washington tied the score, as Hall of Famers Sonny Jurgensen and Charley Taylor hooked up for a one yard touchdown.
George Allen’s “Over the Hill Gang” then took over, as defensive back Brig Owens intercepted Cowboys quarterback Craig Morton returning the ball 26 yards for the go ahead touchdown.
In perhaps his signature play as a Washington Redskin, future Hall of Famer Ken Houston stopped Dallas receiver Walt Garrison just short of the goal line to preserve the victory.
3) Redskins 13 Cowboys 7 – October 19th 1987
The Redskins voted to cross the picket line together as a team. The deadline, however, had been missed. Washington would be going into Texas Stadium on the road with their replacement players against a team with two Hall of Famers and several star players.
In what many consider Joe Gibbs’ finest coaching job, the Redskins scabs showed the Cowboys it takes a team to win.
Dallas quarterback Danny White, running back Tony Dorsett, defensive tackle Randy White, and defensive end Ed “Too Tall” Jones had all crossed the picket line for the Monday Night spotlight. They should have stayed home.
Redskins quarterback Tony Robinson went 11-18 for 152 yards, and running back Lionel Vital ran for 136. Washington’s defense forced 2 fumbles on their way to pulling off the upset.
For many, it was the last time they would set foot on an NFL field.
2) Redskins 14 Cowboys 13 – September 19th 2005
The Redskins offense looked abysmal. After failing to score a touchdown in their season opener, the Redskins were on their way to a repeat performance, trailing the Cowboys 13-0 with less than four minutes remaining.
What happened next is nothing short of spectacular and unleashed fan emotion not experienced since Super Bowl XXVI. The Redskins had lost four straight to Dallas and had not won in Texas Stadium in 10 years. All that would change in just a few heart-pounding minutes.
On a 4th-and-long, the anemic Mark Brunell hit Santana Moss in the end zone for their first score with 3:46 left. The Redskins quickly got the ball back with the defense playing well. Brunell and Moss did not waste any time as they hooked up deep once again on a 70-yard bomb that gave them their first lead of the game.
Sean Taylor would come up huge on Dallas’ subsequent drive with a huge hit ending the Cowboys chance to answer.
1) Redskins 35 Cowboys 16 – September 6th 1993
The Redskins were hardly the team that won the Super Bowl back in the 1991 season. Missing from that team was head coach Joe Gibbs, and starters Gary Clark, Wilber Marshall, Martin Mayhew, Fred Stokes, and Jumpy Geathers.
Perhaps Emmitt Smith’s holdout had the Dallas Cowboys frazzled and unnerved. The Redskins dominated the evening, powered by Brian Mitchell’s 116 yards rushing and Mark Rypien’s three touchdown passes.
The savored victory over the defending Super Bowl Champions would be short lived, however, as Washington dropped their next six games en route to a dismal 4-12 finish.
Dallas would go on to win their second straight Super Bowl.
