Pregame Thoughts Wk 7 - Renewing The Rivalry
Here comes Washington as Dallas looks for signs of life. Could an upset be in the cards?
We love our rivalries in football. They mean so much to us and they make us feel much differently than just another game. They are never just another game when we play those old familiar foes.
This is the 129th regular season matchup with the Washington Commander-skins in the regular season and the 131st overall. That is not the most played rival in the history of this football organization as it sits three meetings behind the Philadelphia Eagles.
However, Dallas will be looking for its 80th win against Washington on Sunday at 3:25pm and that will be the most times Dallas has ever beat anyone else in this NFL.
If you would like to see the list based on Cowboys wins (regular season or playoffs), here is the podium:
1st - Washington, 79
2nd - New York Giants, 78
3rd - Philadelphia, 74
And, just for kicks, here is the all-time leaderboard for Cowboys touchdowns vs:
1st - vs Washington, 357
2nd - vs New York Giants, 346
3rd - vs Philadelphia, 339
I moved to this city and started covering this team in 1998. At that time, I was young and somewhat clueless on how Cowboys fans really felt. I was sure that the Cowboys rivalry of greatest importance is Dallas vs Philadelphia.
But, most old-timers would tell me that the one that really made the blood boil was Dallas and Washington. That one is the one that meant the most. I stood corrected.
But, I assume that the younger you are, the less this game means to you deep in your bones. The Eagles are definitely the power since 1998 and it doesn’t take a long explanation as to why. But, when we simply look at those 27 seasons from a divisional series standpoint, we see the following update:
Dallas vs NFC East Rivals, 1998-present:
Vs Philadelphia, 27-29 - 48.2% win
Vs New York Giants, 34-22 - 60.7% win
Vs Washington, 38-16 - 70.3% win
That is my perspective on things as the Cowboys have not had a difficult time winning 70% of all of their games against Washington in this lifetime. Of course, it is worth noting that Dan Snyder owned that team from 1999-2022 and that sample overlays here pretty solidly. The only thing that keeps him from the Jerry Jones conversation for “owners that hold their teams back” is that he is gone. He had his 24 seasons of mess, but now he is gone and they appear to be instant winners with him out the door.