Can the Washington Commanders-Dallas Cowboys rivalry be saved?
It used to be the two biggest games on Washington’s sports calendar annually. The hottest ticket at RFK Stadium for three decades. Why, the two NFC Championship wins over Dallas are arguably Washington’s biggest non-Super Bowl victories ever.
Nowadays, this isn’t your father’s big game. Thirty years of mediocrity in Washington has turned Dallas’ attention to other NFC rivals like Green Bay and San Francisco with Washington becoming a forgotten lover.
Washington has clashed more heatedly with its regional neighbor the Philadelphia Eagles. That’s the bigger NFC East obstacle nowadays. It’s only nostalgia by fans that retains a pulse on the rivalry because the locker room doesn’t care. It’s not like when Harvey Martin threw a wreath in the Redskins locker room after a knockout Cowboys victory. Or, when Diron Talbert threatened Cowboys quarterbacks or LaVar Arrington ended Troy Aikman’s career with a hit.
Even first-year Washington coach Dan Quinn didn’t summon much emotion on Monday when asked about facing his previous team after two years there as defensive coordinator. Predecessor Norv Turner was the same when coming to Washington after winning two Super Bowls as the Cowboys offensive coordinator.
This is the fans’ rivalry, but it seems to flicker. That Washington is finally a serious contender once more is offset by Dallas’ freefall. This isn’t for a big playoff bid with the rematch in the season finale. It’s just another game for both teams.
The rivalry started when Clint Murchison bought the rights to “Hail to the Redskins” from its composer to blackmail Washington owner George Preston Marshall into voting for the Dallas expansion team. Otherwise, forget playing the song.
In the early years, Dallas fans tried to release chickens onto the field only to be caught by police. Some Washingtonians hated all things Dallas after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated there in 1963. Seriously, it was a thing.
When coach George Allen arrived in 1971, he targeted Dallas as the team in Washington’s way and became obsessed with beating the Cowboys. Allen wouldn’t even call Redskins defensive end Dallas Hickman by this first name. Allen once offered to fight Dallas coach Tom Landry at midfield for the victory. (Landry was a World War II combat veteran and would have beaten Allen despite the latter taking karate lessons to impress players.) Oddly, Allen was 7-8 against Dallas
“We want Dallas” has been chanted by Washington fans for decades. Indeed, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones once told me Washington has more Dallas fans than any city outside Texas.
Oddly, many Washingtonians became Dallas fans just to tweak family and friends – and others due to Marshall having to be dragged kicking and screaming to integrate his team.
“If you grow up in metro Washington,” said former Redskins tackle Jim Lachey, “you grow up a diehard Redskins fan. But if you hate your parents, you grow up a Cowboys fan.”
Currently, the rivalry is on fumes. There’s only one way to revive it – both teams competing for one playoff spot. Knockout wins are the sweetest that Washingtonians would most relish. It won’t happen this year, but maybe in ones to follow.
Otherwise, the rivalry should shift to Philadelphia.