Will this week's MNF game produce epic air and ground performances like their past matchups?
The Washington Redskins host the Dallas Cowboys at FedExField on Monday night.
Monday Night Football history lesson
Cowboys vs. Redskins on Monday Night Football:
» Total matchups: 16. The two teams have split the MNF series, with each winning eight times. When the Cowboys and Redskins meet Monday night, they will match the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders for the most Monday night matchups.
» Notable matchup: During the 1987 season, a player's strike prompted the use of replacement players. In the final week of replacement player use, the "Scabskins" played a Cowboys team that had a host of regular players cross the picket line, including Pro Football Hall of Famers Tony Dorsett and Randy White. In one of the biggest upsets in NFL history, the Redskins defeated the Cowboys in Dallas, 13-7.
One notable passing performance in series: In the season-opening Monday night game of the 1983 season, the Cowboys found themselves down 23-3 going into halftime against the defending Super Bowl champion Redskins. Dallas quarterback Danny White directed a frantic second-half comeback, throwing for three touchdowns in a 31-30 win. The Redskins would go on to lose just one more regular-season game in 1983, and -- coincidentally -- it was also on a Monday night, and in another epic game.
One notable rushing performance in series:Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith rushed for 155 yards and three touchdowns in a 21-10 win over the Redskins during the 1996 season. The defending Super Bowl champion Cowboys entered the game with a 7-5 record, while the Redskins came in at 8-4. While the Cowboys would finish the season 10-6 and win the NFC East crown for a fifth consecutive season, the Redskins wound up 9-7 and missed the playoffs.
One epic MNF moment
In the season finale of the strike-shortened 1982 season, Dorsett scored the only 99-yard rushing touchdown in NFL history against the Minnesota Vikings. Dorsett finished the game with 153 yards. The Vikings won the game, 31-27. The Cowboys, however, won two playoff games and reached the NFC championship (where the Cowboys lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Redskins) for the third consecutive year.
One famous MNF game
Cowboys: The Cowboys hosted the defending Super Bowl champion Redskins on Monday Night Football in Week 1 of the 1992 season, and emerged victorious, 23-10. Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman threw for a touchdown, Smith rushed for a touchdown, and Kelvin Martin had a 79-yard punt return for a touchdown. The win helped springboard a championship season in Dallas, its first in 14 years.
Redskins: A season after the defending Super Bowl champion Redskins lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Cowboys on Monday Night Football in Week 1, the Redskins exacted a measure of revenge for the previous season's defeat on Monday Night Football during Week 1 of the 1993 season. At RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., the Redskins prevailed, 35-16, behind three touchdown passes from quarterback Mark Rypien and a 116-yard, two-touchdown rushing performance by Brian Mitchell.
Follow Jim Reineking on Twitter @jimreineking.
