If you’re a fan of the Dallas Cowboys or the Washington Football Team, it’s been a fun week. First, Dallas coach Mike McCarthy almost guaranteed a Cowboys’ victory Sunday. Ron Rivera didn’t seem too amused, but you know the former linebacker used it to fire his team up.
Then, Dallas owner Jerry Jones made sure to remind Washington how supportive FedEx Field is for the Cowboys.
.@michaelpRTD’s report that the #DallasCowboys won’t let Washington use the Cowboys logo on game shirts today reminded me of this Jerry Jones comment on @1053thefan this week… pic.twitter.com/knyvO2fjj7
— Pat Doney (@PatDoneyNBC5) December 12, 2021
However, the biggest swipe at Washington came Sunday when Dallas flew in its own benches for the big NFC East showdown.
As if the #Cowboys couldn’t be any more contemptible, they flew in their own sideline benches for the game … first time and only team that’s ever done that at FedEx … wild #WashingtonFootball pic.twitter.com/Qu46kPmP5P
— Mitchell Tischler (@Mitch_Tischler) December 12, 2021
Oh, ok, it’s on.
The apparent reason for the Cowboys bringing their own benches to FedEx Field seems, um, reasonable?
Here's the deal on the Cowboys' benches today: Cowboys got word from Seattle that the hotseat benches provided for them at FedEx Field kept going out during the game. Cowboys partnered with company in Cleveland that shipped them to FedEx Field so wouldn't be an issue today.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) December 12, 2021
This is the first time we’ve actually heard of this reason. Our take: the rivalry is back.
Remember, Washington blew out the Cowboys in both meetings in 2020. However, quarterback Dak Prescott missed those games.
FedEx Field has never been a home-field advantage for Washington. The stadium has had a myriad of issues over the years, including horrid field conditions leading to several high-profile injuries over the years. The biggest problem for Washington is other teams’ fans invading FedEx Field. It’s specially bad with the WFT’s three NFC East rivals.
We could do an entire series on FedEx Field’s woes.
This week’s trash talk from the Dallas side to Washington is good for the NFL. The NFL needs this rivalry to mean something again. Does McCarthy look like a buffoon for predicting a Dallas win? Of course, he does. And this wouldn’t be the first time McCarthy looked like a buffoon. Paging Aaron Rodgers here.
But if one side talks trash and fires up the other side, then it gets fans invested. Perhaps it will bring back some of those lapsed Washington fans who swore off the team after owner Daniel Snyder’s many mishaps. Remember the old days of Washington fans chanting “We want Dallas” from RFK Stadium? Those fans haven’t had many reasons to cheer over the years.
The rivalry is back.