The Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys are the greatest rivals in the history of the NFL, and it is one of the best rivalries in all of sports. The rivalry famously began when the owner of the Redskins tried to block the formation of the Dallas Cowboys. Clint Murchison, the first Dallas Cowboys owner, acquired the rights to "Hail to the Redskins" and then told the Redskins ownership they would not be allowed to play their fight song at games. Thus a franchise, and a heated rivalry, was born.
The Washington Times' Redskins preview is a fun read this morning - if you're a Dallas Cowboys fan. The Washington Times rates the Cowboys the Redskins' superior on offense, defense and special teams.
The Dallas Morning News has the top 5 games in the history of the rivalry. Hard to argue with number 1.
1. Captain Comeback
Cowboys 35, Redskins 34, Dec. 16, 1979
In what is considered one of the great games in NFL history, Roger Staubach rallied his team from a 34-21 deficit in the fourth quarter to clinch the NFC East title.
The Cowboys scored 21 consecutive points to take a 21-17 lead. But Washington came right back to lead, 34-21.
No problem for The Captain, who found receiver Tony Hill for an 8-yard touchdown pass with 39 seconds left.
When the day was over, defensive end Harvey Martin threw a funeral wreath in the Redskins locker room.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram has the story of Tom Landry's final win as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
Tom Landry’s 250th NFL regular-season victory also was his last.
It came Dec. 11, 1988, at Washington. The Dallas Cowboys brought a 10-game losing streak into RFK Stadium. Only their pride was at stake that day.
The Redskins were a different story. They were the defending Super Bowl champs who desperately needed to win this game, which ultimately came down to a Michael Downs deflection of a fourth-down Doug Williams pass in the end zone.
It was a doubly great day for Cowboys fans. Their team got a rare win 24-17, and the Redskins were mathematically eliminated from the playoff picture.
This is the final game between the two rivals at Texas Stadium. Joe Theismann told the Washington Post:
"What I'll remember," the former Washington Redskins quarterback said last week, "is just how stupid that hole in the roof looked while I was lying on the turf."
